


Dragon's Den

by MurkyMuse



Series: Genderswapped Abi [5]
Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Pregnancy, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-05 15:12:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 41,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4184589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurkyMuse/pseuds/MurkyMuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twice now, Abi had lost her home. She didn't think she would find a third place to call home. (Or how Seiryuu Village was founded. Sequel to 'Eyes of a Dragon')</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On the Cliffside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years apart, two of the Four Dragons meet unexpectedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Oct. 26, 2015

The purse settled heavily in the palm of Abi’s hand with the sound of coins clanging against each other. The sharp faced woman in front of her sighed with reluctance, “It’s a shame you’re going. Your talents have been helpful.”

Abi smiled politely in return and adjusted the travel pack slung over her shoulder, “Flattery won’t change my mind.”

The elder woman let out a raspy smoker’s laugh at that, “If you’re ever back in this area and need work again, come see me.”

“I will”, she lied fluidly.

Like all the other places Abi had stayed longer than six months since leaving the castle, she had no intentions on ever returning. The risk of her true identity being discovered was too high for her to feel comfortable. She merely stayed long enough to save up a decent amount of money, usually taking a job as a bodyguard or tea server, and then she would vanish as if she were never there.

Clouds drifted across the sky and casted shadows on the earth as Abi left the market town she’d called “home” the past half year or so. Abi peered past the fabric covering her eyes and looked far off into the distance.

“Where to next?” She questioned the wind caressing her blued locks, “…It’s been a while since I’ve seen the sea.”      

* * *

Abi sat in the corner table of a tea house with her cloak’s hood pulled over her sky blue hair and bandages hiding her dragon eyes. The sounds of chatter from servers and other customers washed over her; it was a calming background noise like the cries of cicadas in summer. As she took a long sip of her steaming tea, Abi reached out her senses to the other dragon warriors. Zeno – a constant sunny yellow – still remained in the castle at Kouka’s heart. Guen – a reassuring pure white – hadn’t moved locations in a few years, somewhere near country’s eastern edge. Finally there was Shuten – an alluring jade green – who could never stay put anywhere for long. He was the nearest of the three and rapidly getting closer.

Abi almost dropped her cup at the realization.

Before an hour had passed, Shuten strolled into the tea house. It seemed as if he had barely changed in the years since she had last seen him. His dark green hair was still tied up in a long tail. His sharp jawline and beady eyes gave off the same roguish impression, which was emphasized by the worn-down traveling cloak. Yet the way he held himself seemed a little different, though Abi couldn’t place what the change was. Perhaps it was simply age. While Abi was observing him, the other dragon glanced around and then, spotting her, walked over.

“Hey, Abi-chan”, Shuten greeted casually as he slid into the chair across from her, “Figures you’d be in a place like this.”

“I thought I told you not to use ‘chan’”, she dryly stated.

“It’s been seven years and that’s how you greet me.”

Abi shrugged and finished the last sip of her now cold tea. Shuten stared at her with a frown, soon speaking with a subdued voice, “You’re still hiding your eyes.”

“Only in towns”, she replied quietly as she sat the cup on the table, “My eyes are too memorable.”

Silence stretched between them in an uncomfortable pause. Circling her index finger lightly on the empty cup, Abi asked the obvious question, “Why are you here?“

“I was just in the area and noticed you were close by. I…”, Shuten trailed off and glanced to the door, “Want to go somewhere with less people around to talk?”

“Alright.”

Abi fished for the correct amount of coins and set them on the table before getting up and grabbing her travel pack. The two dragons were barely out the door when without warning Shuten scooped Abi into his arms and jumped. A squeaky breath of surprise escaped Abi’s lungs as the sudden gust blew off her hood.

“I’m reminded of how irritating you are already”, she glared from behind the bandage.

He flashed his pointy teeth down at her and chuckled. Abi sighed in exasperation while they soared over the coastal town lit in the night by flickering lanterns. She wondered just how many times Shuten had carried her like this. The majority certainly would have been during battle to get her to relative safety after her power had backfired. Abi relaxed into the comforting familiarity of his arms and sensation of near-flight. 

Shuten landed them on a cliff overlooking the ocean, just off the road into town. He released his hold, her feet once again touching the ground. Abi took a few steps forward. From behind the blindfold her eyes surveyed the surroundings; no one else was anywhere nearby. With a breath of relief, Abi pulled the fabric away from her face.

Her golden dragon eyes viewed the scenery uninhibited. The half-moon reflected off the rippling ocean, fish scales flashing as the creatures darted underneath the waves. The deep purple glittering with stars blended into dark blue spotted with white foam at the curved horizon. Even though covering her eyes didn’t really affect her sight, it always felt so good to see with absolute clarity.

Abi smiled contently and slowly turned her head back to Shuten. He was staring at her like the air had been knocked out of his lungs. Suddenly self-conscious, a pink blush lit her cheeks as if she were a nervous teenager again. Abi hoped it was too dark for him to notice.

“Shuten, you look like you’re about to recite some of your sappy poetry.”

That shook him out of the daze. His cheeks huffed up as if he was about to deny it, but then a mischievous grin slid across his face.

“You look like you want to hear it, Abi-chan.”

Her blush deepened, “I don’t know why I missed you.”

“Oh”, he leaned forward, “So you did miss me then?”

Abi narrowed her eyes almost accusingly, “You clearly missed me more since you bothered to come find me.”

Shuten sighed heavily as he leaned back again, running a hand through his bangs. Worry lines creased his face.

“…When we left the castle, you were still recovering.”

She raised her brow, “You’ve been worrying about me all this time?”

“Ever since that day”, he replied in a sincere voice.

The two dragons stood in silence for a few moments. The salty wind flowing past them as Abi turned her attention back toward the half-moon reflected in the waves. Minutes passed before she broke the silence with a weary voice.

“It’s gotten better over the years…but even now I occasionally have nightmares about it.”

Just like all those years ago, Shuten reached out his hand toward her but then hesitated. Confliction wavered in his dark orchid eyes. His uncertainty – acting as if something as simple as touching her might cause her to shatter like glass – made annoyance flare in her chest. Abi impulsively spun around and grabbed hold of his hand.

“You are an imbecile.”

She closed the distance between them. With her free hand reaching around the back of his head, Abi pulled his face lower and pressed her lips against his. Shuten froze as if she had unleashed the power of her eyes, completely unresponsive to the kiss. Her heart raced as embarrassment flushed her face. Abi quickly pulled away, wondering just how badly she had misinterpreted Shuten’s actions.

Then his grip on her hand tightened as he pulled her close again. One arm wrapped around her waist as he leaned in to kiss her. His tongue trailed across her lower lip. Abi clutched the fabric of his shirt, pulling him even closer, and deepened the kiss. They kissed like they bickered, trying to one up each other. At one point, his sharp teeth scratched against her lips. He tried to pull away with a mumbled apology but Abi pressed forward to continue. Eventually, they parted breathlessly. His fingers, calloused from a life of fighting, trailed down her cheek and jawline.

“Why did I wait so long to come see you?”

Abi smiled, “I did say that you’re an imbecile.”

Shuten snorted before kissing her again.

* * *

The constant sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore was lulling, singing to Abi as she drifted between the state of dreaming and awareness. However, early morning rays filtered through her eyelids. Abi groaned with annoyance and snuggled closer in the covers of the make-shift bedding, hiding her face from the bright daylight as best she could.

“Abi-chan.”

She shifted slightly while ignoring Shuten’s grating voice.

“Abi-chan”, the whisper tickled her ear, “Abi-chan.”

“Sleep”, was her mumbled reply.

He switched tactics and began slowly kissing the back of her neck. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine as a sound between a whimper and a moan escaped Abi’s lips. Of course, she hazily thought, he’d find that sensitive spot of hers.

“That’s an interesting reaction.” Shuten’s lips smirked against her neck. “But…”

The moment was then promptly ruined by his sharp teeth intently scraping her skin.

“Ow!” Abi jerked up, turning a golden glare at his smug face.  

“You’re finally awake”, he grinned impishly.

“Shuten”, she stated in a grumbling tone, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t paralyze you for that.”

His answer was quick, “There are villagers heading this way.”

A glance with her eyes confirmed that there were two villagers approaching. Abi suddenly realized that, unlike Shuten, she wasn’t fully dressed yet. She scrambled around to gather her clothes and hurriedly got dressed. Shuten sat there and watched with that smug expression never faltering. With a huff, Abi threw one of their travel blankets at his head. He snorted as he caught the blanket. Once Abi was fully dressed, he ruffled through his travel bag and tossed her an orange.  

“Here.”  

Abi caught the fruit but at the same time noticed that those villagers were almost close enough to able to see the dragons. She set aside the orange to reach for her blindfold. But before she could tie it in place, Shuten grabbed her hand holding the bandage and looked her straight in the eyes.

“Do you really need that right now?”

Abi froze, looking into his steady orchid eyes. Seven years ago she would have, even if all three of the only people alive that she felt comfortable showing her eyes to were with her. A day ago she would have because none of them were beside her. However, today she had one of the other dragons. That was emboldening.    

“…I guess not.”      

A relieved expression settled on Shuten’s face, as if he was worried that he had overstepped a line. He slowly pulled the blindfold out of her grip.  

Then the two dragons were within the villagers’ sight. Abi stiffened and averted her eyes as the two villagers passed by. They briefly glanced in the dragons’ direction but walked on without incident. Once the villagers were far enough away, Abi let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

The weight of Shuten’s hand pressed comfortingly on top of her head as he murmured, “That type of expression really doesn’t suit you.”

Relief mixed with the joy of being around another dragon again and the lingering giddiness of the night before. It bubbled up and escaped in a laugh. Shuten stared at her with a raised brow. Eventually her laughter faded, and Abi smiled at him. He muttered under his breath about how she made no sense sometimes. Abi shrugged and took a breath of the salty breeze before turning her attention to peeling the orange.

As they sat in companionable silence, pieces of orange skin building into a small pile beside Abi, new thoughts drifted through her head. Last night had been impulsive. From what she had gathered, Shuten coming to see her had been on impulse too. So where did that leave them? Was this going to be a one night deal? Even ignoring last night’s activities, Abi didn’t really want to part with her fellow Dragon Warrior so soon after meeting again.    

“So”, Shuten’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts, “Were you doing anything specific here…?”

Abi popped a piece of the fruit in her mouth, savoring the burst of citrus flavor. She replied once she had shallowed, “Not really. I’ve been wandering around the past few years. Why?”

“There’s this hot spring inn on top of a mountain. The view is amazing”, he suggested offhandedly before plucking a few pieces of the orange right from her fingers.

She watched him eat with a frown, “Shuten, you’re terrible at this.”

He scowled at her, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Abi ate the rest of the orange before he could steal more and then stood up, brushing grass from her robes.

“There’s nothing better to do”, she smirked at him, “I guess I’ll go to this hot spring with you.”

Abi thought the happy expression that settled on Shuten’s normally gruff face was somewhat adorable.  


	2. Off track

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something unexpected happens on their way to the hot springs inn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - Nov. 2, 2015

Wind fanned out locks that matched the blue sky as the two dragons flew through the air. Abi’s hands lightly clutched Shuten’s shoulders, while he carried her princess-style with one arm looped under her knees and the other supporting her back. Above them was the sparkling sky with a couple puffy yellow-white clouds drifting on the wind, while below the lush treetops and twisting dirt road blurred by.

“I forgot how convenient this method of travel is.”

Shuten glanced down at Abi as a frown creased his lips, “So I’m a convenient method of travel?”

Abi nodded like it was the obvious answer, her golden eyes glinting with a hint of mischief.  

“I could drop you, Abi-chan”, his voice rumbled in false threat.

“Even if you did”, she said in a dry tone, “Guen would miraculously appear to catch me.”

Shuten snorted, “Guen would.”

Abi blinked as her eyes focused on the forest below, spotting a scene that made her tongue press against sharp dragon fangs. She suddenly shifted to point her finger, forcing Shuten to scramble and adjust his grip so she didn’t actually fall.

He hissed as he held her close, “What are y-”

“Land there!” She yelled over the gusting air.

The green-haired dragon nodded and descended where she was pointing. Leaves and branches brushed against them as they entered the forest canopy. The two dragons landed with a jolt; the dragon leg bearing the brunt of it. As he let Abi down, her feet gracefully touching the forest floor, Shuten surveyed the scene with a warrior’s eyes.

A group of bandits – thirty one men, if more weren’t out of sight (Abi, of course, would know) – had surrounded a small group of travelers, wielding rusty knives and daggers. The travelers consisted of a middle aged man that had been trying to talk his way out of the situation and two young women holding onto a teenaged boy to stop him from doing anything reckless with the small knife at his hip. The dragons’ appearance caught both bandits and travelers by surprise, their eyes wide in shock.

“Where did they come from?!”

“What’s with those eyes…They don’t look human.”

Abi’s breath hitched in her throat. Panic flared in her chest at the realization that she wasn’t wearing her blindfold. There were people other than her fellow dragon, and she wasn’t wearing her blindfold. They were all staring at her dragon eyes with that mesmerized expression. Her skin was crawling and-

“Abi-chan”, Shuten’s voice sounded as he shifted to block her from their direct line of sight, “I need you to stay calm.”

Abi took a deep breath and nodded, letting his voice ground her and keep her from spiraling into a dark memoires. The bright presences of Guen and Zeno hovered encouragingly in the back of her mind as well. The part of her that took pride and enjoyment in fighting finally clicked into place.

“I’m fine”, she said with fangs peeking out, “I can do this.”

Shuten dropped the travel packs he was carrying to the ground and, despite the lack of his old weapon, launched himself at the bandits. A swift kick sent one man crashing into a tree trunk, bark splintering from the impact. The other bandits stared in agape shock before shaking their hesitation off and recklessly charging the green-haired dragon. Shuten gave a feral grin as he threw himself into the fight, kicking and punching one bandit after another. With Shuten taking brunt of the fight, Abi maneuvered in front of the awe-struck travelers.

“Don’t worry”, she said with her back to them, her tone slipping into assured confidence like a well-worn glove, “Everything will alright.”

A few of the bandits decided Abi might be easier to deal with. As they ran at her with knives and daggers out, Abi smoothly drew her sword. She then dodged and tripped one man with a well-placed foot. Another was fluidly struck on the head with the hilt of her sword and crumpled to the ground. The dragon then swung her sword surely at the third. The man stumbled back, dropping his dagger and raising his hands in surrender as the point of her blade lightly pressed against his neck.

Abi looked over just as the last bandit was punched unconscious by the other dragon.

“Shuten, you couldn’t leave more for me”, she said casually.

Shuten shrugged with a playful grin, “Not my fault you’re slow.”

“Excuse me”, the middle aged man stepped forward cautiously and cleared his throat, “Thank you for saving us. Is there any way we could repay you?”

The two dragons turned to the man. Like a punch in the gut, the awareness of her uncovered eyes hit Abi for a second time. The rush brought on by the brief brawl faded. Abi quickly averted her eyes again.  

“We don’t need anything like that”, Shuten replied, “We’ll just tie these guys up, and officers from the nearest town can deal with them.”

“Please, I insist that you two at least allow us to treat you to dinner.”

Shuten glanced at his fellow dragon from the corner of his eye. With a neutral expression, Abi appeared calm and nonchalant. However, he could spot the cracks in her carefully crafted mask. Her eyes were wandering: the ground, the canopy, anywhere but the travelers or defeated bandits. Her breathing was a forced evenness, while her unusual silence hinted at a mental withdraw. This close, Shuten could practically feel her desperately reaching out to him and the others through the dragons’ blood.

“No”, he shook his head, “We’re in a hurry.”

With that settled, they began securing the bandits with some robe the group of travelers had. Shuten grabbed the bandit Abi still had a sword point. With that one tied, Abi sheathed her blade and went to tie up some of the unconscious bandits. The teenager approached Abi then, a curious and excited expression lighting his face.

“You were really cool!”

She remained silent as she knotted the rope, pointedly not looking at him. It was rather rude but Abi couldn’t find the courage to meet any of their eyes. The boy pouted his lips, while one of the women laughed.

“Don’t mind him. He wants to be a swordsman. If you two were staying longer, he’d be begging you to teach him.”

“…I see.”

Abi knew it was coming. She could see the looks on their faces as they tried to catch glimpses of her eyes. Finally, one of them said it.

“You have really gorgeous eyes.”

Her shoulders tensed as Abi made the final knot and slowly stood. These people were harmless and grateful travelers. They probably didn’t mean anything by it. But…Would they spread the story about two mysterious warriors that had saved them? If they described her eyes and the wrong person heard…Fear gripped and restricted her lungs at the thought, making it a little difficult to breath.

A hand – Shuten’s hand – suddenly covered her eyes. His warm, calloused skin was a comforting reminder that she wasn’t alone. The nervous tightness in Abi’s chest loosened a little. At the same time, Shuten flashed a warning glare at the travelers.

“We’re done here. Let’s go, Abi-chan.”

Abi nodded with a relieved sigh and then without a word pulled away to go to grab their dropped packs. The travelers watched in confusion as the two dragons vanished into the forest as quickly as they had appeared.

Shuten made two jumps before stopping again in another forest clearing, far away from the road. Birds scattered from the trees at their descent. Once on the ground, Shuten sunk into a sitting position with Abi still in his grip. She frowned at him and shifted her position.  

“…Shuten?….I’m fine. Really…”

“The hell you are”, he practically growled in reply.

Golden eyes went wide a moment and then her frown deepened. Abi pressed her forehead against his chest as silent tears fell and dampened his shirt. Shuten froze and mentally cursed, suddenly wishing Zeno or Guen were with them. Zeno and Guen were the ones that had been with her through the roughest patches after she had been captured, while he had stupidly avoided her. They would know how to best comfort and reassure her. All he could do was loosely hold Abi as she wept.  

After a few minutes, Abi pulled away and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt. Her eyes were as red and puffy as the day they had left the castle. Shuten searched her face, trying to figure out what to do. Eventually, he reached out and lightly brushed her bangs to the side.

“You’re right…I’m not okay. No one has accidently seen my eyes like that in years. It was…off-putting”, Abi leaned against his touch with a faint smile, “But it felt good to fight like that again.”

“Oh?” Shuten gave a pointy grin, “Then next time I’ll try to leave more for you.”

* * *

A few days later, the two dragons arrived to the mountain top inn. Below a valley sprawled, lush with spring greenery and a snaking river at its center. Wispy clouds drifted on the wind, shadowing the ground underneath. Each water droplet scattered light in tiny, faint rainbows that were only visible to the dragon’s eyes. A small village was nestled in between the foliage; roof tops thatched with yellowed straw. Like ants, the people went about their daily routines.

Abi took a breath of the pine and sulfuric scented air before tying her blindfold back over her eyes. Shuten walked up, frowning at the fabric around her head yet saying nothing. Abi had been more diligent about hiding her eyes since the mistake earlier that week.

“I got us a room.”

Abi turned away from the picturesque view and toward her lover as her lips quirking up in a teasing smirk, “I suppose you’re looking forward to soaking in the hot springs with all the jumping you’ve done.”

“You make it sound like I’m getting old”, Shuten snorted in reply.

“That’s because you are.”        

* * *

Abi slipped off her inn bathrobe and into the streaming spring. Warm water lapped around Abi’s figure as a thick mist lofted into the dusky sky. The dragon sighed in relaxation, soaking in the comfortable heat. Sky blue locks damp from sweat and steam clung to her forehead and flushing cheeks.

The sky slowly darkened to a deep navy, shining stars dusting the night. The chatter filled the women’s side of the hot spring as three more women entered, apparently a pair of sisters and their friend. Abi tensed and slowly drifted to the far side of the pool. She hid among the steam as she double checked the secureness of the dampened blindfold.

“Oh, hello, miss”, one of the women said when she spotted Abi.

“Hello”, Abi replied and sank down chin deep into the water. The hot spring was suddenly much less relaxing with strangers sharing the pool. As the women continued their conversation, Abi got out of the hot spring. Grabbing her towel and robes, she quickly dried off and redressed herself before heading out of the springs.  

She walked carefully through the hallways, reluctantly but politely nodding at a few other customers and inn workers as she based by. Finally she reached their inn room, a small and simple space with a large futon and a private balcony. She slid the door closed solidly behind her with one hand, while pulling her blindfold off with the other. A few droplets of water from her still damp hair, pulled up in a loose bun, dripped down to the tatami floor.

Shuten sat on the small private veranda that overlooked the valley, wearing a loose inn robe as well. As he was wrote in his small notebook, soft moonlight dripped down around him while the orange-red lantern light flickered from the room. The different sources of light clashed and reflected off the dark green of his hair, untied and cascading down his back. Abi stared at him a moment with a small smile on her lips before moving forward. The man was so absorbed in his writing that he didn’t notice the padding of Abi’s footsteps as she came to sit beside him. She took the cup and bottle of wine that was sitting next to him and poured herself a drink before Shuten finally registered that she was there.

“Really, Abi-chan?” He gruffly questioned setting the notebook aside, “Why the heck do you always steal my booze?”

Abi shrugged and smirked mischievously at him before taking sip. Shuten looked at her a moment with softening orchid eyes and then grabbed her hand, prying the cup from her.

“That seems rather childish, Shuten.”

His reply was to take a drink. A sly smirk formed on Abi’s lips. She shifted, crawling into his lap. One hand slowly slid up his thigh as she leaned forward to lightly kiss his lips. Abi watched as his pupils dilated and heartrate began to increase, his skin flushing a peachy-red. She then hopped up, having grabbed back the cup with her other hand. Shuten stared at her with a slightly dazed expression as Abi finished off the drink. Disgruntled comprehension settled across his face.

“Abi-chan.”

In one swift movement, Shuten pulled her to the floor and pinned her. Abi coolly stared up at him, her red marks drawing attention to golden eyes glinting iridescent with reflected light. Damp, stray strands of pale blue clung to her forehead. A thin scar – so faint that it was only noticeable if you knew it was there – on her jaw. Her lips, chapped from travel, moved as she spoke. Her blunt tone carried subtle amusement.  

“And this is both more and less childish.”    

His voice was husky with desire when he replied, “You’re one to talk with that little trick you just played.”

Abi’s response was to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him down until their lips met again.


	3. Missing Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abi and Shuten continue their travels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - 11/8/15

The tatami floor boards of the inn room creaked underfoot as Abi gathered all their belongings that had been scattered around over the stay at the hot springs inn. Her bag tumbled over, and a tube rolled out. Shuten, being closer, reached down to grab it. He stared at the tube a moment, realizing it was a carrying case for small paintings.

“Is this…?” Curiosity swirled in his orchid eyes glanced up at her.

Abi felt her cheeks flush warm pink. She made a grab for the tube but Shuten was quick to hold it above her reach, a sly smirk forming on his mouth.

“Must you do that?” She huffed, sending him a golden glare as she let her arm fall to her side. Abi refused to jump for it. She had more dignity than that. Plus, if she did make an attempt, it would only encourage him.  

Keeping it out of reach, Shuten twisted the tube open and pulled out the painting. As he unrolled it, the painting was revealed to be of Bora the bluebird perched on a flowering azalea bush. A gleeful grin lit his face as he recognized the painting. He had commissioned it as a birthday present for Abi years back.

“You’ve keep it all this time.”

A subtle smile graced Abi’s lips at the image of her old friend.

“I wasn’t planning to bring it when we left the castle. I grabbed it at the last minute”, she glanced away as the smile faded and her mouth tugged downward, “I’m glad I did…Bora lived a long time for a bluebird.”

Shuten looked back at her, his teasing demeanor fading into sympathy. Silently, he moved forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Abi leaned into his embrace, resting her forehead against his chest. After a few moments of still and quiet, she pulled away.

“We need to finish packing before the inn owner kicks us out for overstaying.”  

* * *

Grey smoke billowed from the campfire and through the opening of the forest canopy as the scent of burning food clung to the air.

“You burnt it.”

“It’s not that burnt.”

“Even Zeno wouldn’t eat this.”

“It’s not that burnt”, Abi repeated with narrowed eyes.

Shuten glanced from Abi with her cheeks puffed out in annoyance to the charred food over the campfire.

“It’s edible”, she insisted once again.

“Saying that enough times won’t make it true”, Shuten shook his head in amusement, “Abi-chan, I am reminded that you are a spoiled noble lady. How the heck did you manage to survive seven years without servants to do this stuff for you?”

Golden eyes narrowed again, “You are infuriating.”      

* * *

Wind danced through the leaves as a squirrel scurried up the bark of a tree. A songbird, one of the season’s fledglings, flapped its wings uncertainly at the edge of its nest. The sound of her heavy breathing echoed in Abi’s ears as beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. Annoyance permeated her golden glare as Shuten easily danced away from her sword. Despite the afternoon heat and long spar, the green-haired dragon was barely sweating.

Abi shifted her weight and charged the other dragon. Shuten once again dodged. However, the heel of his boot caught on an outcropped rock buried by last autumn’s leaves. Surprise flashed across his face as he swayed to keep his balance. A small smirk lit Abi’s lips as she made her move, knocking his feet out from beneath him. Shuten tumbled, pure muscle memory shifting his body so that he fell without injury.

Abi stared down at him with that smirk still spread across her face, the thrill of beating him drumming against her chest, “Perhaps you should be more observant, Shuten.”      

“Abi-chan, you lured me into that.”

“Guen’s the honorable fighter”, she stated as she sheathed her sword, “I learned the cheap, dirty tricks from you.”

“Oh?” He hopped back up to his feet in one fluid motion, his face suddenly mere centimeters from hers. “I’ll consider that a compliment.”

“It wasn’t meant to be”, her golden eyes flickered to his hovering lips, “…If you’re going to kiss me, just do it already.”

Shuten leaned forward, closing the little distance between them.

* * *

The moonless sky was blanketed by thick clouds that blocked out starlight. The campfire had long been doused, not even the faintest of embers remaining. It was one of those nights were darkness spread like ink spilling across paper. Not that it mattered to the dragon’s eyes. Abi doubted that even a cave, deep underground and hidden away from all sources of light, would be dark enough for her vision to fail. She shifted and wiggled beneath the weight of Shuten’s body half-draped over her until she was in a more comfortable position.

Shuten’s grip around her tightened slightly as the thumping of his heartbeat sped up. His mouth twisted in a grimace. Abi frowned at the apparent unpleasantness of his dreams. She shifted again, turning to face the other dragon and pulling his head into an embrace. Her fingers trailed lightly through his green locks. It wasn’t as comfortable of a position as before, but it was worth it when his pulse once again slowed into a steady rhythm.      

* * *

Abi dug through her pack, almost frantically searching. After a minute, she found her box of tea leaves. However, the box felt light. A frown tugged at her lips as Abi opened the lid only to see that – like she suspected – it was completely empty. Her nose flared with a frustrated huff as she let herself flop back onto the grass.

The leaves in the canopy above swayed in the warm summer breeze, while a hawk flew above the trees and the song of cicadas buzzed in her ears.  Shuten appeared back in their little camp with a small boar he’d caught for dinner slung over his shoulder. He set it down next to the campfire and walked over to Abi, looking down at her with raised brows.

“What are you doing, Abi-chan?”

“Basking in my misery”, she answered in a dry voice.  

As if on cue, pain twisted in her lower abdomen. Abi winced and curled on her side as understanding crossed Shuten’s face.

“Your women’s troubles started today, huh?”

“I’m out of my herbal tea”, she gravely stated.

“I can jump over to the nearest town and pick some up.”

“Please”, she said staring up at him, the gold of her eyes duller than usual.

Shuten snorted, “It must be bad if Abi-chan is saying please.”

Abi grabbed her dropped tea box and tossed it at him with more force than necessary. The other dragon caught it without a problem, amusement dancing across his face.

“Touchy”, he flashed a toothy grin and dodged one of their bedrolls that had been within her reach.

Shuten then grabbed some money from his bag and leapt through the green treetops. Abi watched him soar through the sky for a minute before glancing over at the boar. It wouldn’t be right to leave a dead boar just sitting there for what would probably be a few hours. Or to make Shuten butcher and cook it after traveling to the nearest town and back. With a reluctant sigh, Abi struggled past the cramping pain and sat up.

The sun set in the western horizon, turning the sky a dusky purple-blue. The waxing moon and stars shone brilliantly through the forest canopy. The campfire crackled as the boar roasted over it; the scent of meat lofting into the evening air. The rustling of leaves and a heavy thump on the ground sounded Shuten’s return. Gold flashed as Abi glared out of the corner of her eye, daring him to say something about her cooking skills. For once he wisely kept his mouth shut, simply handing over her now full tea leaf container.

“Thank you, Shuten.”            

* * *

Abi walked through the market streets as the day’s busy crowd began to dwindle, rays of light from the evening sun drifting through pinkish clouds. She stopped at a couple of shops and stalls, catching them just before they closed to restock on travel supplies. From the corner of her blindfolded eyes, she spotted trouble in the form of two men across the street staring at her and quietly talking. They both wore the uniform of Kouka soldiers; however, their eyes held malicious intent. As she continued on, they followed after her down the street. The dragon frowned, her enlarged canine teeth pressing against the inside of her lip.

“Miss”, one said as he walked up and reached for her elbow as if to guide her, “Do you need any help?”

Abi pulled her arm away before he could touch her, “I’m fine on my own.”

“It’s dangerous for a blind woman to wander around alone.”

Even if she was really a blind woman, she was positive the only danger she’d be in would be from them. Cold anger burned in Abi’s stomach. They were soldiers of Kouka. They should not be attempting something so despicable. The man reached for her arm again but this time Abi didn’t budge.

“Abi-chan, there you are.”

Shuten appeared suddenly, as if from thin air, startling the soldiers. He put an around arm Abi’s shoulder and pulled her close, shooting a dark glare at the soldiers. The soldiers shifted their feet in nervous tension, intimidated by the unspoken threat. Underneath the blindfold, Abi rolled her eyes. The two men muttered under their breath and walked off.

“I had that handled.”

“You were about to kill them.”

Abi tilted her head to look up at him, “So?”

“I don’t want to skip town yet.”

“Guen wouldn’t have stopped me”, she huffed.

“Probably not”, Shuten replied, “It’s not like I think we should just let them go. But sometimes Zeno’s subtle methods are more appropriate.”

“He’d be surprised to hear you say that”, Abi raised her brow, “I’m surprised to hear you say that.”

(A few days later, those two soldiers would find themselves inexplicability without jobs.)          

* * *

The sound of water crashing over rocks echoed through the glen, a constant humming in the background. Starlight and moonbeams drifted through the lush green leaves of the forest canopy. In the distance was the sound of flapping wings and the call of an owl. Curled up together in the small clearing next to the waterfall, heat mingled as skin pressed against skin. Abi nuzzled her head between Shuten’s neck and shoulder as his calloused fingers softly combed through her loose hair.

“Shuten”, she said, letting out a lazy sigh, “I’m starting to think you’re dragging me around to all these places just to make love.”

He snorted and grinned impishly, “What gave you take idea, Abi-chan?”

“It might have something to do with you not even waiting for camp to be set up”, was her dry reply.

His voice hummed quiet laughter in her ear, blending with the white noise of water cascading off the cliff face.  

* * *

The sky was an overcast grey with the occasional droplet of rain hitting the ground. Once again the two dragons squared off in a lighthearted sparring match. Abi panted, having trouble catching her breath, before taking another swing at Shuten. He sidestepped the blade with dark green hair flowing behind and knocked the sword out of her hands. The suddenness of it caused Abi to lose her balance and stumble to the grass. She let out a frustrated groan, while orchid eyes peered down at her in surprise.

“You’re a little off today, Abi-chan.”

Abi frowned. Exhaustion had been clinging to her bones the past day or so. She was tired and sluggish, her reaction time much slower than usual. The dragon hoped she hadn’t caught a summer cold. She could almost hear Guen’s deep voice chiding Shuten for being too rough and telling her not to push herself so hard. Zeno would no doubt promise his ‘attentive’ nursing with a mischievous glint in his clear blue eyes.

Suddenly Abi felt like crying. The pure white and golden-yellow lights fluttering in the back of her mind were too far away, too distant. She held back the unshed tears, glancing at Shuten again. His expression was almost like looking in a mirror. His orchid eyes held the same hollow ache of missing pieces.    

“I’m just a little tired”, Abi shrugged attempting to downplay the water lingering in the corners of her eyes, “All those restless nights are probably catching up to me.”

“You weren’t complaining about it last night.” Even his teasing tone sounded a little forced.  

* * *

A hand shaking her shoulder and the call of her name drifted through the fog of sleep. Abi blinked groggily and then rolled away from the source of disturbance, burying her face in the scratchy blanket. Warm, chapped lips pressed against her neck; a jolt of lightning traveling down her spine. Abi was suddenly very awake and then very disappointed when Shuten pulled away.

“Jerk”, she murmured with a yawn, “Why are you waking me up so early, Shuten?”

He smiled fondly at her as he played with a lock of her pale blue hair, “I think you’ll want to see this.”

Abi sat up with another yawn, turning her attention where Shuten was looking. The first light of day was crossing over the curved horizon. The edge of the otherwise dark sky was painted crimson and scarlet. Nostalgic memories of unruly locks tangling in the breeze came to mind. Abi gulped back sorrow, wishing she could touch the burning dawn and feel the texture of curls.

“I miss him.”

“Yeah”, Shuten’s fingers entwined with hers, “…I wonder if Guen and Zeno are watching this.”

Habitually, Abi reached out for the pulsing presences of snow-white and sunny golden-yellow. The distant hum of their beings murmured in her head. Both of them were still well. Neither of them had moved locations. Beside her, Abi could sense Shuten’s jade green reaching out to Guen and Zeno as well.

“Somehow, just two of the Four Dragons feels wrong…”

It was hard to tell which of them had spoken.


	4. Separate ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They soon find it too painful for only half of the Four Dragons to be in company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - 11/21/15

The two dragons lay curled together on top of a blanket in a grassy field. Above them, the clear night sky shone brightly with uncountable stars. Shuten stretched out his arm and pointed up at a section of the inky black sky that was void of any specks of glimmering light, at least to his eyes.

“What about there?” He asked.

Abi lightly bit her lip in concentration, one of her fang-like canine teeth poking out as her dragon’s eyes peered intently at the spot. The sky she saw now was rather different from the one she had seen all those years ago before drinking the dragon’s blood. There were so many stars that there was almost no empty space, and the shimmering dots that human eyes could see were brighter and more colorful to Abi. Small ember-like flashes occasionally sparked in the air as rocks fell from the heavens. And in the section of space Shuten was pointing to was…

“There’s this dust-cloud formation. It seems so tiny, mote-like but it’s so far away…It must be larger than we can imagine.”

“Those eyes of yours never cease to impress me”, Shuten replied in a slightly awed tone.

Abi shrugged as she leaned against him, glancing away to hide the light pink radiating off her cheeks, “It’s not my problem that all of you have such terrible eyesight.”

“All of us…?” Dark orchid eyes blinked with confusion before comprehension dawned on his face, which was then quickly followed by a pained expression.

Watching Shuten’s shifting expression, Abi realized her mistake. Her breath hitched in her throat as a hollow ache spread throughout her chest and tears sprang to her eyes. Panic briefly fluttered across Shuten’s face at the sight. Abi tried to mumble an apology for such a pathetic overreaction but it came out as a garbled sob.

“Abi-chan, hey”, he tenderly cupped her face in his hands and wiped away the tears, “It’s okay.”

Abi pulled away, shaking her head slightly. Her tears had stopped flowing but her golden eyes still held sorrow. Shuten slid his arms around her, silently trying to coax her to not withdraw. Abi remained still in his embrace, staring at the grass as the blades swayed softly in the breeze. When Abi spoke her voice was quiet, barely a murmur, but Shuten heard it as if she’d shouted.        

“Shuten, we can’t keep doing this…being together but without Guen and Zeno and…”, she paused as the final name died on her lips, “…It hurts both of us too much.”

His hold tightened like the last thing he wanted to do was let go. Abi turned toward him with a heavy sigh, her hand reaching out and clinging to the cloth of his shirt as she buried her face on his shoulder.

He eventually whispered into her hair, “I know.”      

* * *

Morning sunlight filtered through the clouds as Abi packed her travel bag. Somewhere along the way her and his separate belongings had simply become ‘theirs’. Now they had to sort through everything and figure out who would take what. While Abi sorted through her pack, she noted certain supplies – his spare blanket and extra water container, more of the food – had ended up among her belongings. Abi turned to the green-haired dragon with a curious tilt of her head.

“Why is your stuff in my bag?”  

Shuten shrugged, “I can just jump to the nearest town if I need anything.”    

They finished packing in near silence, only speaking a few times with short questions and answers. At one point, Abi stifled a yawn and absentmindedly stretched. She must have slept in an awkward position because her back was aching a little. Once they were both finished packing, the two dragons stood facing each other in the middle of the former campsite. A flock of birds flew overhead as the sun shone down.

“So”, Shuten said with a frown, “This is it?”

Reluctance suddenly weighed down on her shoulders.

“It doesn’t have to be a permanent goodbye”, her mouth quirked up in a semi-forced smile, “We could meet up again, sometime?”

“Yeah”, hope glimmered within his sorrow filled eyes, “Sometime.”

Abi moved forward, placing a forlorn kiss on his lips. Shuten returned it, trying to pour every unspoken word into her mouth. Eventually, they pulled away.    

* * *

_Fear swirled around her like a blizzard. Cold hands reaching for her, grabbing her. Mocking laughter and threats delivered in cruelly pleasant tones. The icy edge of steel pressed against her skin. Scarlet blood staining a sheet of pure white._

Abi woke up gasping, her blindfold damp from sweat and tears. She felt chilled despite the lingering heat of early summer and yearned for the warm comfort of Shuten’s arms. It was strange; in the months that they had traveled together, Abi hadn’t had a single nightmare. She shakily sat up, hugging her knees to her chest and reaching out her senses.

The familiar flickering of three lights danced soothingly around her. Shuten was far from where he’d been the last time she checked, always so restless. Guen remained as still and steady as ever. Zeno too was…Golden eyes widened in shock. Zeno wasn’t in the castle! His bright golden-yellow was west of the castle. Had he left? No, little prince Yak-Shi – recently twelve – wasn’t yet old enough to rule on his own. Zeno wouldn’t have truly left the castle yet. Abi sighed as the sudden excitement was dashed away like smoke on the wind. He must have some business there as the Royal Priest.

Abi shook her head, laying back down and tugging the blanket over her. She stared past the tent roof, looking at the star filled night sky. Loneliness once again gripped her heart as weariness lingered in her bones, her back aching and breasts a little sore. The nightmare had left her unnerved. Though the distant presences of her fellow dragons had soothed the fear, sleep was still evading her. All Abi wanted was a deep, dreamless sleep.

She apparently got it because the next thing Abi knew sunlight was glaring in her face, the bright rays weaving through the tent roof. Golden eyes blurrily blinked underneath fabric as she noticed that sun was nearing high noon. Abi groaned, wandering how she managed to sleep so late, and sat up. A sudden wave of nausea crashed into her like a rogue wave hitting a boat. For a moment she thought she’d vomit then and there, but slowly the nausea fled like a retreating tide.    

Abi froze as suspicion set in. The fatigue, which she had assumed to be a persistent summer cold, had been a recurring problem for about three weeks now. Normally, she would have started her monthly two or three days ago. Abi had merely thought she was a little late and assigned her recent aches and soreness to her body preparing to bleed. However, now she was feeling nausea as well. Exhaustion, soreness, nausea, and the lack of bleeding at its regular time…All those symptoms added up to one specific thing.  

Panic knotted in her stomach, her hand cautiously drifting down to her lower abdomen. It seemed her and Shuten hadn’t been nearly as careful as they should have. Abi squeezed her eyes shut. How was she going to deal with this? Her mother – how her mother had died giving birth to Abi’s should-have-been younger sibling, despite having the best doctors any noble could get – came to mind. Abi knew that trying to handle this alone could easily be fatal. As much as she hated to acknowledge it, she would need help.

(In the back of her mind, Abi was aware of another option. It was the most practical, considering her lack of resources. But her veins subtly, unnoticeably cried out against the idea. Drowning out the thought before she could even consider it.)  

Shuten…He deserved to know. He would want to be here for her. Abi was sure of it. However, it would be impossible for her to catch up to him, now more so than ever. It would solely depend on Shuten deciding to come to her again, but it was unlikely that he’d visit so soon after parting ways… If only she had figured this out two weeks ago.

“Wishing for that won’t change anything”, she muttered to the empty tent.

Since she couldn’t reach Shuten, there were only two other people in the world she trusted unconditionally. However, getting help from Zeno – going back to the castle – was out of the question. Guen, she realized, was her best bet. There was no doubt he’d welcome her and do everything he could to help ensure her – their – good health. He might even manage to chase down Shuten and drag him back by the ear, all the while ranting to the very confused man about responsibility.

At that mental image, a slight smile and small laugh lit Abi’s face. However, the brief moment of lightheartedness quickly faded. There was one problem with that idea: Guen was halfway across Kouka. The thought of traveling so far with the increasing stress on her already somewhat sickly body was intimidating. Abi wasn’t sure if she could manage it.

Still, she had to try.          

* * *

One week passed and then two weeks. Between the continued lack of her monthly and the increasing occurrences of nausea, there was no doubt in Abi’s mind that she was indeed carrying a child. She shifted her weight, adjusting the pack hanging off her back and rubbing her aching lower back. It was lighter than Abi would prefer; with every few meals she took ending up on the side of the road, her food rations had been whittled away.

That was why Abi was standing amidst a bustling market town. Traveling merchants had set up tent stalls, their wares spread out on tables and mats. Farmers from nearby villages were selling their fresh crops from their carts. There were a few entertainers scattered throughout the market, two musicians and a juggler. Abi wandered around among the thong of people, stopping at various sellers to buy more supplies.

“Here, this will help with your joints.”

Golden eyes glanced over to the tent shop of a medicine seller, who was handing over herbs to an elderly man.

“Do you-”

Abi paused, licking her dry lips as a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.

The medicine seller looked up at her, “Did you want something, miss?”

The dragon mutely shook her head and continued on through the market. While having medicine to help calm her stomach would be nice, it was probably better to not let anyone know of her condition. With covered eyes yet able to do things as if she weren’t blindfolded, Abi knew she already stood out to much. Adding that she was a pregnant woman traveling alone would only make people more suspicious.

* * *

Clouds slowly drifted overhead, partially covering the glimmering blue of the daytime sky. The crescent moon sat near the curved horizon, faint against the light of the sun. Summer heat held its grip, not even the breeze brushing through her pale blue locks cooled her. Abi walked along the dirt road, which was well worn from constant travel, using Guen’s pure white light as if it were a guiding star.

It had been about two months now since she realized her condition. Her progress had been slower than she originally hoped it would be. The exhaustion and fatigue wore down on her like heavy weights. Aches, soreness, and nausea had become constant companions. Abi was often forced to stop earlier than she would prefer. At night she had trouble getting to sleep, frequently shifting and adjusting because no position was comfortable. When Abi did finally drift into unconsciousness, she would inevitably sleep until midmorning but wake up feeling just as tired and fatigued as the day before.

As the dragon thought about her troubles, another rolling wave of nausea suddenly washed through her. Abi stumbled to the side of the road, collapsing to her knees as her stomach emptied its contents on the grass. Once the gagging had stopped, Abi sat up and grabbed her water container with a quivering hand. She rinsed the foul taste of bile from her mouth before standing to continue on.    

The sun rose higher in the sky, the oppressive heat bearing down on her. Sweat dripped from her forehead, while Abi began to feel as if her head was fuzzy. The sounds of the breeze rustling through trees and woodland creatures scurrying through the brush became muffled. It felt like cotton was stuffed in her ears. The edge of her vision suddenly greyed. Alarm shot through Abi as she recognized the sensations as nearly identical to the overuse of her power.

She took another step, intending to go sit in the shade of a tree and wait out the dizzy spell. However, her body jerked forward with the movement. As the world went black with the only type of darkness that meant anything to the dragon’s eyes, Abi’s arms instinctively curled around her stomach. She lost consciousness before she hit the ground.


	5. Bird in a bush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abi wakes up after fainting on the side of the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - 11/21/2015

The first thing Abi became aware of was a cool, damp cloth on her forehead. Her first thought was that she had once again fainted on the battlefield after overusing her power. Then the occasional footsteps must be Zeno, hovering after dragging her from the battle. But…The footsteps – hobbled and slow – didn’t match those of the energetic dragon. And the smells lingering in the air were not the scent of expensive teas and incense attempting to cloak the musk of unwashed soldiers and grime of battle. It smelled of herbs, medicines, and the faint scent of farm animals.

Abi remembered then. She was retired from wars and fighting and leading. The Four Dragons were separated, though she had been desperately trying to meet Guen because…Right. She was with child and had nowhere else to go.

Wondering where she was, Abi almost opened her eyes but at the last second realized her blindfold was missing. Panic thumped in her chest as Abi surveyed the room from behind her eyelids. Her bandage was nowhere in sight, but the rest of her belongings sat propped against the wall. The clothes she had been wearing were washed, folded, and placed on top of her pack; Abi now clothed in a simple robe. There was an old woman sitting on the floor and crushing herbs in a mortar. Her skin was wrinkled and tanned, wisps of grey hair loose from her bun. Her grey eyes were focused intently on her work.

“Ma’am?” Abi cautiously called with a hoarse voice.

The old woman stood up with a small groan and grabbed a cup of water as she walked over to where Abi lay.

“Good, you’re awake”, the woman’s voice was raspy with age, “Can you sit up?”

Abi slowly did so, careful to keep her eyes shut. The elder pressed the cup to Abi’s lips. The dragon, just realizing how thirsty she was, greedily gulped it down.

“Don’t drink so fast.”

Abi barely heard the woman’s words and didn’t much care. The water was cool and refreshing against her scorched throat. Only once the cup was empty did Abi turn toward the woman with still closed eyes.

“I had a bandage for my eyes. I need it.”

The woman stared at her a moment with a frown. Abi shifted in discomfort, the light cover rustling in her lap. The woman seemed to be surveying her with steel grey eyes and making some type of judgement.

“I threw that ratty thing out”, the old woman finally stated. Abi inhaled sharply, clenching her fists. However, the woman continued. “But I have plenty of fresh bandages. You can use one of those.”

The dragon let out a sigh of relief, “I’d appreciate that.”    

The woman walked over to a shelf to retrieve the promised bandage. The second Abi secured the fabric around her head a sense of security covered her like a soft blanket. The dragon opened her eyes, seeing that she was in a small farming village – villagers going about chores, chickens plucking at the ground, crop fields sprawling and swaying in the wind, pigs and goats and sheep in their pens, and even a few horses – not too far from where she must have fainted on the road. With that known, Abi drew her focus back into the woman’s house.

“Thank you”, Abi stated.

The old woman nodded, “You’re lucky Hae-Sup found you and brought you here when he did. Really, a pregnant woman shouldn’t be traveling like you clearly were.”

Abi’s hands went to her stomach, “How can you tell? I’m not far enough along to show yet.”

“I’ve been an herbalist and midwife long enough to spot the early signs”, she waved offhandedly, “I’d estimate that you’re two, maybe three months along.”

“Two and a half.”

The woman nodded at the confirmation, bringing her mortar and pestle with her to sit at Abi’s side. The dragon’s hands fell to the light blanket covering her lap.

“My name’s Ki-Eun, by the way”, the woman stated as she returned to grinding the herbs. Her grey eyes flickered at the dragon expectantly.

“…I’m Abi.”

Ki-Eun focused on her work as she spoke again, “Miss Abi, I have to wonder why you were traveling in the heat of summer as you are.”

Abi gritted her teeth in annoyance, “That is not your business.”

“So the father is out of the picture then?” Ki-Eun bluntly asked.

Abi’s face flushed red, nearly as red as her dragon markings, and tears prickled in the corners of her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again. Finally the dragon replied honestly, “I have no way to tell him.”

Ki-Eun continued grinding the herbs, “Hmm, I suppose you were going somewhere in particular.”

Abi frowned, not liking how the old woman was trying to hammer information out of her. The dragon felt even more annoyed that she was compelled to answer. As if she needed to justify her choices.

“I have someone I can depend on”, Abi explained in a cautious voice, “…My older brother.”

“I see. And he’s where?”

“Northwest”, Abi replied shortly. She wasn’t about to give away any specific details on Guen’s location.

“Northwest? Just northwest? You don’t even know what town?” Ki-Eun stared at the dragon in sheer disbelief, “You foolish girl.”

Anger simmered beneath Abi’s skin. She was a noble, a Dragon Warrior holding the power of a god. Abi had fought and won wars. She had infiltrated and spied on enemies. She had led one of Kouka’s five tribes. Abi had held the fate of the country and its people on her shoulders. Time and time again. How dare this woman call her that with such disrespect!

Yet to say any of that aloud would risk not only her safety but that of her and Shuten’s unborn child. Abi swallowed her anger like it was foul tasting medicine.

“There’s no helping it”, the old woman’s voice pulled Abi out of her thoughts, “You can stay here. You’ll need to help out with work. It would be hard for us to feed someone that won’t work. But it won’t be anything too strenuous, of course. ”

“What?” Abi tilted her head in confusion as the offer slowly sank it, “No. I can’t.”

Grey eyes shot her a harsh look, “So you want to keep going ‘northwest’? Very well. You can rest here a few days and then go on your way. But, I’ll warn you, if you carry on like you were before you could miscarry.”

At that one word, it felt like ice-water had been poured into her veins. Her hands tightly gripped the blanket in her lap; and, her tongue pressed against sharp, feral fangs. The thought of losing her unborn child was suddenly one of the most terrifying things Abi had ever faced. Perhaps even more terrifying than that snowy day seven, almost eight, years ago.  

Steel lined her voice when Abi finally spoke, “I won’t let that happen.”

“Then take care of yourself”, Ki-Eun simply said as she stood up, “Rest for now. I’ll bring you dinner soon.”

As the woman walked out of the room, Abi settled back down on the bedding and curled on her side. Her arms crossed over her stomach, while thoughts swirled in her mind.              

* * *

The next morning came with the sounds of roosters and distant songbirds as light filtered in through the window. Abi yawned as she ditched the borrowed robe to slip on her own clothing, certain that she’d feel more comfortable in it. A frown tugged at her lips when she noticed her clothes were already tighter. The dragon didn’t remember the queen gaining weight so soon when she was pregnant with little Yakshi. Abi sighed, recognizing that it wouldn’t be long before she would need to switch to borrowed clothes or have hers let out.

While Abi suffered that realization, Ki-Eun paced around as she fixed breakfast. The smell of rice porridge wafted in the air. Abi suddenly gagged as nausea rose up from the pit of her stomach. Ki-Eun moved with the swiftness of experience the second she heard the gag, grabbing a bucket and placing in next to the dragon. Abi puked into the bucket, while the older woman gently rubbed her back.

“I’ll fix some tea that should sooth your stomach”, Ki-Eun said after the sickness had finally passed.

Abi nodded faintly, “Thank you.”

The dragon heartily gulped down the tea when it was handed to her but half-heartedly picked at her rice porridge, the smell still repugnant to her nose. It was only the stare of grey eyes that goaded Abi into even attempting to eat it. Once both women had finished breakfast, Ki-Eun stood.

“Since you’ll be staying here awhile, I should introduce you to my brother. He’s the village elder.”

“I don’t remember saying I would stay”, Abi replied in a dry tone.

Despite her protest, Abi followed Ki-Eun outside. The sky was a clear blue with the brightness of the sun making the points of starlight faint. A cool breeze carried the smell of hay and animals. The old woman hobbled along with Abi keeping a slow pace to stay at her side. The villagers glanced away from their work and chatting to greet Ki-Eun and gaze curiously at Abi. The dragon assumed rumor of her, the strange woman found collapsed on the side of the road, must have spread. A small bubble of anxiousness fluttered in Abi’s chest; she much preferred to not draw attention.

They arrived near the center of the small village, where an elder man was speaking to one of the villagers. Abi could see that relation between Ki-Eun and the man in their facial structure and eye color. However, it was difficult to tell who the elder sibling was since his hair was whiter but he had less wrinkles than his sister. Before Ki-Eun could speak, another woman - perhaps a few years younger than Abi - bounded up to the dragon with her brown hair swaying in its ponytail.

“You must be the woman that collapsed. I’m glad to see you up and about”, she smiled brightly, “Oh, how rude of me! I’m Nari. My husband was the one that found you.”

Abi blinked behind the fabric of her blindfold, “Thank…you?”

Ki-Eun cleared her throat, getting both Nari to stop speaking and her brother’s attention. The white-haired village elder turned to them.

“Ko-Jun, this is Abi”, Ki-Eun gestured to the dragon, “She’ll be staying with me for now so I’ll need extra supplies.”

“Wait”, Abi ruffled with annoyance, “I still haven’t agreed to stay.”      

“Alright”, the village elder nodded, paying no mind to Abi’s words, “I’ll work something out.”

Nari lightly patted Abi on the shoulder, unaware of the golden glare that earned her, and gave an apologetic smile, “Once Ki-Eun decides someone is her patient, there’s really no stopping her until she considers you healthy.”

Abi let out a small huff, “…That’s going to be awhile.”

* * *

Soft snores bounced off the walls as Abi tossed and turned. With aching back and tender breasts, sleep yet again evaded her. Abi stood up with a low groan and quietly slipped past her sleeping host. Out of habit, she grabbed her sword before leaving the house. The moon shone brightly overhead, cloaking the silent village in pale blue light. Abi wandered the dirt streets, pausing briefly at the corral to scratch the nose of a pretty almond brown horse. The horse neighed in disappointment when Abi continued her stroll.

The forest loomed ahead, to most people dark and threatening this time of night. The dragon walked on as if the nighttime forest was her domain, peeling the blindfold off her face. The wind swept gently through the canopy, while a fox darted through the undergrowth. Abi’s ears perked at the sound of frantic chirping, and her golden eyes quickly searched for the source: a small jay bird was stuck in a thorn bush. Abi rushed over to it, the wild bird tweeting in panic at the sight of a human.

“It’s okay”, she hummed softy as she carefully untangled the jay with no care for the thorns pricking her fingers. Abi had to grip it gently yet sternly so the bird couldn’t trash around and hurt itself while she inspected it for injuries. Seeing no serious wounds, the dragon smiled in relief. Abi opened her hands, and the jay quickly took flight. Golden eyes glinting in the moonlight followed the bird as it fluttered through the branches.

Eventually, Abi turned away with a yawn. She glanced back toward the village, watching as the animals and people alike rested peacefully.

“I should try to get some sleep…”, her hand drifted down to her lower stomach as she started the walk back, “It seems meeting your Uncle Guen will be postponed until after you’re born, little one.”


	6. Omens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all is well in the village that Abi has found herself a temporary resident of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - 12/3/15

_A bright waxing moon lit the grassy plains that stretched to the curved horizon. Abi blinked as she vaguely wondered how she had gotten here. Then a yellow pulse entered her awareness. She turned to see Zeno with his golden mane crowning his head, appearing not a day older than on that snowy morning the other three dragons had left the castle. He wore a sheathed sword at his hip and a grave expression, his skin pallor. His legs trembled as he faced the distant flickering of campfires. They were the campfires of a small army, at least a three hundred strong. Abi realized that at the first light of dawn the army would begin to march forward, towards the heart of Kouka. And Zeno…Zeno would stand in their way, despite his trembling legs and paled skin._

_Abi couldn’t stand to see the golden dragon so fearful, facing down an impending battle alone. She reached out, cloaking him in the embrace of her soft blue light._

_His daytime sky eyes widened in shock, “A-Abi…?”_

* * *

Abi dazedly woke to an aching back and shifted awkwardly beneath her blanket. Her golden eyes blurrily blinked from behind white fabric as the bright waxing moon shone beams through the window. Ki-Eun’s soft snores echoed through the house, bouncing off the walls.  

“Zeno…?” Abi yawned as she rolled over in an attempt to find a more comfortable position, “…Another weird dream, huh…”

Eventually finding an acceptable position, the dragon drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Early rays of sunlight drifted into the small house that smelled of medicinal herbs and the simmering of food. Nearly a month had passed since Abi had decided to take the herbalist Ki-Eun’s offer of shelter and care during the dragon’s pregnancy. Abi now stood in the back of the house, fidgeting with the sleeve of her new dress as she changed. The dress, plain tan in color with dark blue hemming, was borrowed from another one of the village women. It was too large, leaving plenty of room for the rather noticeable bump already protruding from her stomach. The pants were too loose as well, again to leave room for farther weight gain. Abi’s expression was downcast she tied the blue sash around her increasingly round belly.

“Don’t complain”, Ki-Eun said glancing over to her from the kitchen area, “If it wasn’t loose, we’d have to find you new clothes in another few weeks. Now come eat.”

The dragon shifted her feet with a near silent groan. Her center of gravity was all wrong, making Abi feel a little unsteady when she walked. She joined Ki-Eun at the table, giving the woman a faint smile with one large canine tooth sticking out a little. The usual morning meal of rice porridge had fresh slices of apple-pears on the side. The smell no longer bothered Abi, and her stomach was grumbling. The dragon dug into her food ravenously, only slowing briefly to savor the juice of the fruit.

“It seems you’ve finally passed the morning sickness stage”, Ki-Eun stated as she slowly ate her breakfast.

Abi nodded as she swallowed, not bothering to reply so she could continue eating. The complete absence of random bouts of nausea the past few days was a huge improvement. She supposed wearing clothing she didn’t like very much was a small price to pay to be rid of that particular unpleasantness. As for the uncomfortable weight…Well, she would just have to get used it because it would only get worse.

* * *

The sun slowly rose higher in the glimmering blue sky, a few puffy clouds drifting on the wind, as midmorning passed by. A few of the women were washing laundry at the small river just outside of the village. Abi walked up to them with another armload of clothes, blankets, and towels. Nari was the first to spot the dragon, quickly rinsing the soap suds off her hands and rushing over. The woman grabbed for the pile of clothes in Abi’s arms with a happy crinkle in her brown eyes.

“Here, let me help with that!” As Nari took most the clothes, she stumbled back in surprise, “That’s heavier than I thought it would be…Should you be carrying that much? We don’t want you to faint again.”

Abi adjusted her arms with the now lighter load, “I’ll be fine. I’m stronger than I look.”

Nari briefly frowned in concentration, “Now that I think about it, I saw a sword at Ki-Eun’s the last time a stopped by. That’s yours, right?”

“I know a little self-defense swordsmanship”, Abi replied in an understatement. She knew very well that she could compete with and more often than not beat any average soldier. Well, she thought with a slight grimace, maybe not now with her center of gravity thrown off by her rapid weight gain.  

“That’s really impressive! But, I guess, it makes sense. You were traveling alone”, Nari said while lightly blowing her brown bangs out of her eyes, “…I could never learn anything like that.”

Abi glanced at the other woman from behind her blindfold, “Maybe you should give it a try. You might be surprised.”

“I don’t know”, she shrugged indecisively.  

The two joined in the chore of laundry. Between her aching back and apparently not meeting their standards of decent skill in clothes washing, Abi was quickly regulated to hanging the wet articles on the drying line. The others’ chatter filled the air like a gentle hum, blending into the tinkling of the river. Abi let their voices drift over her head, hearing but not really listening to the conversations. After a while, a few grey doves flew over and landed on the drying line.

“Hey now, I need that space”, the dragon cooed softly. The birds merely blinked and stared at Abi expectantly. She sighed, “Sorry, but I don’t have any berries with me today.”

Abi then gently held her hand out. One of the doves hopped on her fingers with a small tweet, the dragon carefully stroking its head with one finger. Giggles sounded as the other women watched the interaction. The laughter spooked the birds, all of them flying off. Abi turned toward the noisy villagers as couple puffy feathers spun down to the grass.  

“You’re so cute, Abi-chan!” Nari grinned from behind a hand.

“I’ve told you before not to use ‘chan’. I’d rather be called by just my name”, the dragon replied with cheeks flushed a pale pink, “The only one that can use ‘chan’ is-”

Abi suddenly paused, her voice lost in the back of her throat. Her nails dug into her palms as a flash of pain and anger struck like lightning. Because Shuten wasn’t here with her. No, the idiot was – she reached her awareness toward him – northeast and almost literally on the opposite side of the country. Abi wished she could smack him through the sense of each other that the Four Dragons shared.

Abi took a deep breath and silently shook her head, blue locks swaying. It wasn’t his fault. If it was anyone’s fault, it was hers. She had pushed him away because she didn’t want to figure out how to deal with missing Guen and Zeno. Shuten had no way of knowing that she was carrying their unborn child. Being mad at him didn’t make any sense… It didn’t make sense, but she still was a little mad at him. A slow frustrated exhale accentuated that private admission.

“You know”, Nari stated cautiously, pulling Abi back out of her thoughts. “If you ever want to talk about it…”  

“There’s nothing to talk about”, Abi snapped, “Just give me that blanket you’re done washing.”

The brown haired woman passed over the damp blanket, briefly squeezing Abi’s hands before returning to her chore. Once all the laundry was finished, the women gathered everything up and began walking back to the village. The bright sun was hanging in the sky directly above them, but the breeze had a slight chill that kept the day from being too hot. Those grey doves from earlier fluttered nearby on the branches of a tree, not so discreetly following the dragon that would occasionally share her snacks. A familiar jay bird also sat on the branch of a different tree, preening its pinkish feathers and occasionally glancing in Abi’s direction.

As they neared the village, two of the younger women – barely out of their teens – ran ahead in a lighthearted chase and bubbling laughter. However, they soon came to a sudden stop with their giggles dying on the wind. Abi glanced past them, seeing that an officer with a few soldiers in tow was speaking with Ko-Jun. The other women soon spotted them as well, their faces hardening with displeasure and unease.

“What are they doing here?” Nari questioned in a flat tone, “Taxes aren’t supposed to be collected until after the harvest season.”

A woman with dark hair – Yoo-Mi was her name – sighed in frustration, “Did Lord Noi raise them again?”

Abi frowned as she listened to their complaints, “…Noi has raised taxes before?”

“Right, you wouldn’t know”, Nari commented offhandedly, awkwardly shifting the load of laundry in her arms, “Over the past several years, the local lord has increased our taxes a few times. They say it’s to safe-guard the border since we can’t depend on the Dragon Warriors from the capital anymore…”

“But it’s making life more difficult for us now”, Yoo-Mi piped in with a huff. A few of the other women nodded in agreement, while Abi’s frown deepened as suspicion set in.

* * *

Dusk settled over the small village, the moon hanging in the star filled sky was larger and brighter than the night before. Dragon eyes stared up at the depths of the night as Abi walked through the dirt streets with a bundle of medicine and ointments tucked under her arm. When she reached Ko-Jun’s house near the center of the village, her knuckles lightly rapped against the door. Footsteps shuffled toward her seconds before the door slid open. Ko-Jun stood there with tired circles under his grey eyes and a couple white tufts sticking up from his head as if he’d been running his hands through his hair.

“Abi?”

“Ki-Eun wanted to bring this to you”, she smiled politely while holding out the bundle. As the dragon spoke, golden eyes peered past the elder and into his home. Abi quickly spotted what she was looking for sitting out on the table: the village record book.

Ko-Jun took the bundle from her hands and replied in a weary tone, “My sister’s hip must be bothering her, if she sent you to deliver this.”

Focused on sweeping through the tax record from the past five or so years, Abi was only half-paying attention to the conversation. “…Ki-Eun tried to bring it, but I insisted.”

“Ah, thank you, Abi”, he replied while stifling a yawn, “Have a nice evening.”

With that said, the village elder retreated into his home to continue working in the lamplight. Abi turned back around, the polite smile falling from her lips and quickly replaced with a scowl. As she suspected, Noi’s repeated increase on taxes had gone over the limit set by her late King and maintained by her fellow dragon. If this continued for another two or three years, then the villagers would be in serious trouble. Not just this village either, but poverty would no doubt spread across the entire region. This went against everything King Hiryuu had worked for.

Anger burned through her veins like a flickering flame as sharp, feral canine teeth pressed against gums. She may be retired from fighting in wars and leading the country. Not to mention that in her current condition, she was not willing or able to directly confront Noi about his embezzlement. However, Abi was still a Dragon Warrior. She refused to let Noi’s misdeeds go unnoticed and unchallenged.  


	7. Subterfuge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abi puts her plan for dealing the Noi’s illegal activity in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - 12/3/15

Abi finished the last bite of her loquat jam filled bread roll as she walked down the village street. The cool breeze brushed through blue hair, while faint sunlight and fainter starlight filtered through the overcast grey sky. A few young children were running around, playing tag as their giggles flowed through the air. One little girl nearly slammed straight into Abi’s legs, the dragon just managing to shuffle out of the way.

“Careful! And apologize to her!” Yoo-Mi yelled out at the kids before giving Abi a strained smile as if to say ‘look what you get to deal with in a few years’.

“Sorry!” The little dark haired girl piped out at her mother’s prompting, staring more at the dragon’s baby bump than anything. The child then darted off again to continue playing.

Abi smiled slightly as she recalled the play antics little Prince Yakshi often got into, usually with the help and under the watchful eyes of a dragon or two. After a polite nod to Yoo-Mi, Abi continued on while licking the sticky sweet jam off her fingers. She soon reached the edge of the village, the scent of hay and horse lingering around the stable and corral. The almond colored horse pranced right up to the dragon, shaking its mane. Abi lightly petted its side with a fond smile lighting her lips.

“Abi?” A lanky man with dirty blond hair stepped out of the barn, “Are you looking for Nari?”

The dragon shook her head, “I wanted to ask you a favor, Hae-Sup.”

Hae-Sup quirked his head to the side in surprise, “What do you need?”

“I want to borrow a horse for a few days to go into the city. I have an errand to take care of.”

Hae-Sup frowned and scratched his head, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea…You’re rather apt at getting around considering your eyes, but riding a horse?”

Abi’s eye twitched behind her blindfold, “It may seem surprising but I’m fully capable of riding a horse.”

“Really?” He shrugged, “I still don’t know. If you fell in your condition…”

Abi lightly bit her lip. She was very confident in her riding abilities, but it had been nearly a decade since she regularly rode horseback. One hand drifted down to her protruding stomach. She hadn’t really thought about what would happen if she fell or was kicked off the horse. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea at all, but the thought of walking on foot to the city was unappealing as well.

“Hmm, I don’t think anyone needs the wagon until next week”, Hae-Sup thought aloud.

“That would be perfect. Thank you, Hae-Sup”, Abi nodded gratefully, “I’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

As the dragon turned to walk away, Hae-Sup called after her, “Abi, what’s this errand anyway?”

Abi glanced back at him with a cryptic smile sliding across her face, “I’m just sending a letter.”

* * *

A few days later, Abi rode in a small wagon pulled by the almond colored horse along the well-used road. Heavy clouds still blanketed the sky, dimming the mid-afternoon sun and giving the impression that it could rain at any moment. The cooling air allowed Abi to hide her unusual blue locks with the hood of her cloak as she approached the city gates. People in wagons and carts, on horses, and on foot crowded the road as they waited their turn to pass through the city gates. With summer crossing into autumn, it seemed many people were traveling.

Once inside the city proper, Abi quickly found a stable to hold the horse and wagon. She then took to the streets, casually walking around the bustling market square as if she were shopping. The scent of sweet breads lofted through the air; and, Abi found herself unintentionally following the smell until she was standing outside the bakery. Her mouth watered with a sudden and desperate craving for lotus seed mooncakes. Abi mentally counted her remaining coins, realizing that she had enough money to spare for one.

“Well, I can’t do anything for another few hours”, she said while softly patting her stomach, “Might as well share a treat with you, little one.”  

* * *

Eventually the sun dipped below the horizon, the overcast sky darkening to an inky black-grey with dimmed starlight trickling through the thick clouds. Abi wrapped her cloak tight as a shiver from the evening chill ran down her spine. The people still out and about were those more interested in the nightlife. The dragon passed by a particularly noisy and obviously drunken group, clinging to the shades of the street as she purposely moved forward. The farther into the city she went, the larger and more elaborate the buildings became. Until, finally, she reached the walls of Noi’s mansion.

Dragon eyes glinted iridescent as they scanned over the mansion: the layout, where all the guards were stationed, where the servants and residents were. After thirty or so minutes observing their movements, Abi found the perfect opportunity. A servant, hurrying to run a quick errand, had left one of the side entrances to the garden slightly ajar. While the servant’s back was turned, the dragon dashed into the mansion garden.

So began the slow dance of avoiding guards and servants as Abi made her way through the mansion. With her inhuman sight giving ample warning, it was a simple but time consuming task. The dragon often had to hide behind bushes and then in empty rooms as unsuspecting servants passed by. However, Abi didn’t mind the slow pace as it gave her plenty of chances to rub her protesting back. Peeking out of her current hiding spot, the dragon saw the coast was clear and swiftly darted up the stairs.

Abi then entered Noi’s personal office, gently shutting the door behind her. Golden eyes glanced around the room. Abi spotted what she needed and grabbed paper and ink, careful to not move any of Noi’s other belongings out of place. One enlarged canine tooth poked out as Abi lightly bit her lips. With precise scrawls, the dragon wrote not only about Noi’s illegal increase on taxes but – eyes scanning through the books lined on the office shelves – also which records books held the proof.

Finished writing, Abi was about to set the pen down but she suddenly paused. Her grip tightened as the urge to share everything – that she was pregnant, that she was intimidated by it and nervous, that she missed him and wished him well, that she hoped he wasn’t spoiling little Yakshi too much, that she wanted him to greet Queen Yoora for her, that she desperately missed them all – surged forward. Abi frowned, fighting back the urge to spill her heart to her dear friend and little brother. There was a risk of this letter being intercepted, of getting into the wrong hands. She was already putting her unborn child at risk just by doing this. Abi wasn’t about to increase that risk. So she left all those thoughts unwritten and also left the letter unsigned, certain that Zeno would recognize her handwriting.  

Abi then returned the ink and pen to their former positions on the desk. Just as the dragon finished addressing and sealing the letter, she spotted Noi – a tall older man with balding grey hair – and one of his high ranking officers heading towards the room. The dragon mentally cursed when she also noticed that a maid would see her if she tried to rush down the stairs.

As she stashed the letter in her sash, Abi’s other hand went to the sheathed sword at her hip, more for reassurance than any intention to use it. Her golden eyes searched for the best escape route. Unfortunately, there was only one way out where she wouldn’t be immediately spotted. The dragon groaned as she very carefully slipped out the window, baby bump making the motion awkward and a little unsteady. Her feet touched the black tiled roof. Her arms hugged the wall as closely as she could, with bulging belly once again making it a little difficult. Abi ducked out of view of the window just as the office door opened.

“What’s so important about this intelligence report that it couldn’t wait until morning?”

Abi took a deep breath and then slowly, silently edged along the rooftop. Her stomach twitched nervously. Her heart hammered in her ears like a beating drum, so loud that she was almost worried they would hear it.

“…army defeated mysteriously……rumor is….”

Between the steady distance being put between them and Abi’s intense concentration, their conversation barely registered in the dragon’s mind. A loose tile suddenly gave way underneath her foot. Abi slipped, biting her tongue to keep from screaming and flailing her arms out in an attempt to regain balance. The hood of her cloak blew back as she slid downward, her pale blue locks fanning out. She managed to cling to the roof tiles, her knuckles white and the coppery taste of blood in her mouth.

“Okay”, the dragon whispered as golden eyes peered at the window of an empty room just out of her reach, “Almost there. Just stand back up and take a few more steps.”

Despite her self-encouragement, Abi’s legs refused to move. The dragon felt as if her power had backfired, as if her legs were paralyzed. The space from her position on the rooftop and the ground of the garden below seemed to distort like hemp being stretched out on a loom. Abi wondered why this was so terrifying when she’d been on higher and more precarious ledges before.

Dark green hair fluttering in the wind suddenly came to mind. Right, it was impossible to be afraid of heights when Shuten was right beside her… But he wasn’t here to pick her up and jump so causally; neither was Guen and his steadying hand, or Zeno and his idiotic willingness to break her fall with his own body. Abi would have to do this herself.  

Still she needed to calm down before she could do anything. In that way, she could always depend on her fellow dragons. Abi took a few deep even breathes and reached out. Shuten’s jade green was faded due to the distance between them that nearly spanned the entire country. Zeno’s warm sunny yellow was again a constant at the castle. Guen’s pulsing light of pure white was the closest.

Her stomach twitched again. And suddenly there was a tiny flicker of…?

It retreated from her awareness just as quickly as it appeared. Forehead pressed against the cool tile, Abi shook her head. She wasn’t sure what that strange anomaly had been. Nor did she have time to puzzle it out. Abi sighed, deciding she’d think about it after her task was complete.  

Feeling calmer with the presences of the other dragons hovering in the back of her awareness, Abi very carefully stood back up and gradually inched forward to the window. Her hands gripped the windowsill with all her strength. The dragon inelegantly pulled herself inside the empty, unlit room. She collapsed on the floor, her hand automatically touching to her belly as she let out a relieved sigh.

Recomposed, Abi left the room and began the dance of avoidance again. At a sluggish pace, the dragon made her way back into the garden. She dodged behind a bush as a guard walked by with a lantern that shone with orange light swinging from his hand. While waiting for the guard to pass, iridescent eyes peered into her final goal. The stable and messengers’ house was empty but for one man asleep in his bunk. Once there were no guards in position to see her, Abi dashed across the garden with cloak trailing behind. The dragon entered the messengers’ house as quietly as possible, the floor slightly creaking beneath her feet. Thankfully, the creaking wasn’t enough to disturb the sleeping man as he merely continued to snore.

Abi sorted through the mail being sent out the next day. There was a small stack of letters going to the capital and even a report going to the castle. With a satisfied smile, Abi pulled the letter from her sash and shuffled it into the middle of the stack.

With her goal accomplished, the dragon silently fled the mansion and vanished into the darkened city streets.

* * *

In a tiny and drafty room of a cheap inn near the city gates, Abi lay curled on her side with blanket cocooned around her. The dragon would have preferred leaving the city now, but to leave in the middle of the night could bring suspicion on her. She planned to leave at first light with the crowd that generally gathered at that hour. Plus, getting some rest before making the return trip would be good for her. However, the excitement of her self-appointed mission still pumped through her veins and made it difficult to sleep.

Her arms crossed her baby bump as she fitfully rolled over. The dragon thought of the strange flickering light she’d felt on the rooftop. With slumber escaping her and nothing else to do, Abi closed her eyes and focused. But, instead of reaching outward to Shuten and the others, she focused her sense inward.

Her light was a soft blue that felt like the gentle beams of a full moon. However, now that she was searching for it, Abi felt something different. Something that was not Seiryuu. It was a faint flickering of jade green amidst a sea of moonlight blue. As if the tiny green fragment noticed her attention, its little light briefly flared brighter. A small spasm shot through her stomach.

Golden eyes widened as the puzzle pieces fit into place. With implications and repercussions buzzing around her head, Abi attempted to comprehend this unexpected development. The words that fell from her lips were full of exasperation that was normally reserved for the father.

“…Did…you just kick me, little one?”


	8. To trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The issue with Noi comes to a seemingly neat conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - 12/4/15

A pillar of early morning sunlight broke through the grey cloaked sky as the wagon rolled onward away from the city. Abi yawned, flashing her fang-like canine teeth. She had been kept awake by the realization, tossing and turning as questions swirled around her mind like a whirlwind. It was still hard for Abi to wrap her head around it. The Dragon Warriors were created for the sole purpose of protecting and serving King Hiryuu. With their King returned to the heavens, the powers of the dragon gods should die with them. So why had her – Shuten’s – unborn child inherited the blood of Ryokuryuu?

Abi tugged her cloak closer as a feeling of mild terror pressed down on her like an iron weight. A child could be threatened, kidnapped, and held hostage. It was bad enough when she thought their child would be a normal human. A completely human child would live under the threat of being used as leverage against her and Shuten. However, a child with the power of a dragon would certainly be targeted by those greedily souls that sought power of the gods.

Snow and steel. Apologetic hazel eyes and pooling blood. Hands groping at her red dragon markings, being forced to look Seung in the eyes. Promises of torture. It all flashed through her mind like a lightning strike in a sudden downpour.  

Abi pushed the unbidden memories away. Her tired frown thinning as her hand drifted down to protruding belly. It was easier to sense now that she knew it was there, that faint jade light swaddled by her moonlight blue.

“I’ll protect you, little one…I won’t let you suffer because of greed and power-lust.”

Abi thought back to the night before. She thought of how difficult it had been to accomplish the mission with her aching back and the way her stomach was sticking out. She thought of the pounding fear of nearly falling from a height that would have surely killed them both. A shiver went up her spine that had nothing to do with the lingering chill from the night before. As much as Abi hated to accept it, they were vulnerable.  

“I can’t do anything like that again”, Abi whispered to the rushing wind, “I don’t think I’d be capable of it, even if I wanted to. Not until after you’re born, little one.”

She felt another tiny flutter of movement inside of her. It didn’t seem to be a kick, or at least not a kick from a developing dragon’s foot.  A faint smile graced Abi’s lips like the moon peeking out from a blanket of drifting clouds. She realized that, sooner or later, Shuten would notice the light of a second Ryokuryuu. However, the smile faded just as soon as it appeared, once again veiled by dark clouds. It would probably take months or even after their child was born for the jade colored spark to be bright enough to reach Shuten’s awareness.  

* * *

The sun dipped toward the western horizon, the sky fading from bright orange-pink to dusky purple shimmering with innumerable pricks of starlight. A cool breeze played with pale blue locks as Abi combed through the horse’s almond mane. The horse basked in the affection with eyes closed and relaxed, its tail softly swishing.  

“Abi, you don’t have to do that”, Hae-Sup stated as he rounded the stable, the breeze catching his dirty blond locks as well.

“I wanted to…I should probably get going”, Abi patted the horse as she whispered the last part under her breath. The dragon then turned to the man with a small smile and a polite bow of her head, “Thank you for everything, Hae-Sup.”

“Huh?” The man blinked in confusion as Abi turned heel to walk away.

Her smile vanished like the last pale sliver before a new moon as the dragon passed through the village. Abi reached Ki-Eun’s house, pushing the door open. The strong scent of herbs and medicine greeted her like an old friend. The dragon stared inside the small house; the table Ki-Eun had shared meals with her, the shelf filled boxes and jars and tools, the laundry that needed to be done, and all her belongings scattered across the house.

Abi sighed as she slowly began gathering her belongings into her pack. She couldn’t stay here. The moment her child was born, it would be obvious who the father was. It wouldn’t be hard to figure out who Abi really was either. Rumors would spread like a wildfire. Those wanting the dragons’ powers for themselves would target her and her child. They would be hunted down; and, Abi doubted she would be able to put up much of a fight while still recovering from pregnancy and childbirth.

Abi filled her water containers with the kettle and attached them to her pack. The dragon then picked up her sheathed sword with a heavy frown. Golden eyes glanced from the sword in her hands down to her rapidly expanding belly.

“…In another month or two, I won’t have any hope of properly wielding a sword.”

Abi placed the sword next to her pack and reached for her cloak. However, at that moment the door creaked open. Abi mentally cursed as Ki-Eun stood in the door-frame with weary grey eyes. The dragon had been so absorbed in her frantic thoughts and packing that she’d failed to pay proper attention to her surroundings.

“You just got back, and yet you’re leaving again”, the old woman said as she glanced at the packed bag, “You don’t plan to come back this time, huh. Are you trying to go ‘north’ to your older brother again?”

Abi looked down at the floor, feeling oddly like a child that had been caught red-handed doing something they were told not to. One enlarged canine peeked out as the dragon bit her lip, “…It’s better this way.”

“Just because you feel more energetic now doesn’t mean you should be traipsing around the countryside”, Ki-Eun groaned with exasperation.

“I know that!” Abi snapped, desperation edging into her voice. Her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach, “I know that, but…”

Ki-Eun’s forehead creased with wrinkles as she shut the door and hobbled over. The old woman crouched down in front of Abi with a serious frown.

“You don’t trust me”, she said with simplicity, “Abi, I can’t help you if you don’t trust me.”

“…If it came down to it, you would choose your brother and the other villagers over me and my child. There’s nothing wrong with it. I’m an outsider after all”, Abi stated in a sorrow tinted tone as if were the most obvious of facts, “But right now, for my child’s sake, I need someone who would choose me over all others.”

Skinny arms suddenly wrapped around Abi, pulling her into a tight embrace. Golden eyes hidden beneath fabric went wide with surprise.

“You must have been through something terrible to think like that”, Ki-Eun whispered while stroking Abi’s hair as she were a scared child, “This talk of choosing one over the other…Abi, you are part of this village now.”

The dragon breathed out slowly, resting her head on Ki-Eun’s shoulder as she spoke, “You don’t know what you’re getting into by saying that.”

“Then tell me?”

Abi closed her eyes as distant memories of her mother came to mind, the embrace like dust being brushed off an old painting. Staying in the village until after the birth would mean trusting Ki-Eun and the others to keep their dragon powers secret. Reluctance to do that clung to Abi like half-melted snow clinging to a cloak, but… If she managed to keep the knowledge to only Ki-Eun and held off on telling the elder woman for as long as possible, then maybe it would be safe enough.

Abi shook her head as she pulled away from the hug, “I can’t. Not yet.”

Ki-Eun stared at Abi with questions clouding her grey eyes but said nothing in reply.

* * *

Weeks passed by, the forest leaves slowly turning from summer green to the nostalgic reds and vibrant oranges of autumn. Soft rays of afternoon sunlight drifted through the window of Ki-Eun’s house, shining light on floating dust motes. Abi sat at the table with the mortar and pestle, grinding seeds as the elderly woman had shown her. The dragon shifted uncomfortably, her back seemingly ever aching and stomach itching. With a yawn, Abi set the pestle on the table and absentmindedly scratched the itch. Her fingers were quickly greeted with a kick. Abi winced, more from the eerie discomfort of being kicked from inside than any pain.

“You are going to be a troublesome child, aren’t you?” Abi said before muttering in an annoyance laced voice, “I might kick your father when we see him.”

Beneath white cloth, golden eyes glimmered with iridescence as they focused past the stone walls of the house. The dragon had noticed a small group of soldiers stirring up dust on the road as they neared the village. They weren’t any of Noi’s men but soldiers wearing the bright red uniform of the capital. They had a cart with them carrying various supplies, mostly food items and what seemed to be bags of coin.

Enlarged canine teeth were exposed as a wide grin spread across Abi’s face, “Nice work, Zeno.”

The dragon reached out to her younger brother’s warm, sunny presence. A twinge of loneliness went through her as Abi noted that Zeno was at the castle as usual. She shook her head with blue locks swaying before standing up with a small groan and hand on her back. It wasn’t like Abi had been expecting Zeno to come deal with Noi himself. As the royal High Priest, Zeno would be far too busy. There was no reason for her to be upset that he hadn’t come.

Abi grabbed her cloak before wandering outside the house. The dragon walked towards the center of the village, yellow and orange leaves twirling around her legs as the wind stirred them into the air. The other villagers mingled about as well, curious glances and soft whispers focused on the group of soldiers from the royals’ Tribe. Nari came to stand beside the dragon, pushing her ponytail over her shoulder and leaning toward Abi.

“I wonder what’s going on.”

“Who knows”, Abi replied with a deadpan expression as she pulled her cloak’s hood over her pale blue hair. It would be best not to stand out too much.

From the wrinkled elders to toddlers clutching their parents’ sleeves, it seemed the entire village was watching as Ko-Jun greeted the soldiers. The highest ranked officer spoke quietly with the village elder, too far away from where Abi and Nari were standing for their words to reach. When their conversation was finished, the soldier pulled a scroll out and, opening it, cleared his throat.

“An inquiry found that an accountant serving Lord Noi was embezzling the peoples’ taxes. Under the authority of the Lord High Priest and Lord Noi, compensation is to be paid...”

The soldier continued his announcement but Abi didn’t pay much attention to his words. In contrast with the relieved and happy faces of the villagers, a dark frown tugged at the dragon’s lips. It seemed Noi had managed to pin his crimes on one of his employees. Abi clinched her fist as if grabbing for the hilt of her sword but only caught the faint breeze. Well, the dragon thought with a sigh, at least Zeno now knew to keep an eye on the lord.

Once the official announcement was over, the soldiers unloaded the compensation for the village before immediately heading off toward the next town over. Abi stayed at the back of the crowd that was wishing the capital soldiers well, Nari once again finding her way to the dragon’s side.

“Shame those men are leaving so soon. That one is handsome”, Nari pouted as she pointed to a soldier with delicate features and short black hair. The handsome soldier glanced up, staring at them blankly for a moment before turning away with a shake of his head.

“You’re married”, Abi replied to the other woman.

“Happily so!” Nari grinned brightly, “But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate good looks.”

Abi chuckled, “Not my type. I prefer-”

It hit suddenly, the world tilting and swaying as if she were on a boat or perhaps a rope bridge on a gusty day. Abi gripped the other woman’s shoulder in an attempt to steady herself. Nari’s deep brown eyes quickly overflowed with concern.

“Abi? What’s wrong?”

“Just a little dizzy”, the dragon replied.

“Yoo-Mi! Tell Ki-Eun that Abi got dizzy and I’m taking her back to the house”, Nari called out to the dark haired woman before leading Abi away from the crowd.

Minutes later they arrived at Ki-Eun’s house, Nari opening the door and helping Abi settle on the futon. The smell of herbs enveloping Abi was calming. Despite the elder’s bad joints, Ki-Eun soon hurried in after them like a whirlwind and sat at the dragon’s side. The elder woman’s wrinkled face hovered over Abi as the room continued to spin.

“So you got dizzy?” Abi nodded in reply to Ki-Eun’s question. “Any other symptoms?”                              

“No. I feel fine other than everything swaying.”

“Hm, a little dizziness isn’t unusual at this point in pregnancy”, Ki-Eun’s expression was contemplative as she spoke, “But I can’t help but wonder…”

Nervousness sat on Abi’s chest like a heavy weight, “Do you think something is wrong?”

Ki-Eun shook her head, “Nothing wrong. I didn’t mean to worry you, Abi. It’s just you’ve gained more weight than I’d expect sooner than a woman your height typically would. And all your symptoms seem, well, doubled.”

“Doubled?” Abi raised a brow as her heart hammered in her throat.

Nari sat off to the side with a large and gleeful grin spreading across her face, while Ki-Eun simply nodded.

“I’m not sure yet. I won’t be able to tell for certain for another month or so, but I think you might be having twins.”

“Oh…”, golden eyes blinked behind white fabric as Abi slowly processed that revelation, “...I’m glad I was already laying down.”


	9. Harvest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvest season rolls around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - 1/19/16

Golden eyes stared upward as starlight gleamed through the window. The night sky was like a painting as a dusty river of stars that shimmered with dark blues and pale pinks cut through the deep purple background. Ki-Eun’s soft snores bounced off the hut walls, the white noise a droning comfort. Abi rolled to her side, finding a more comfortable position. With a sleepy yawn, the dragon closed her hidden eyes and focused inward.

Blue stretched before her like the open ocean bathed in moonlight. Abi delved deeper, searching for some sort of tell. But the only not-her that she could sense was the flickering fragment of jade green. Chapped lips frowned in contemplation. If Ki-Eun was correct about her having twins, then the other had most likely inherited her blood of Seiryuu. However, Abi couldn’t determine if that was truly the case. If it was true, then their auras were blended so perfectly that trying to sense the unborn Seiryuu within her was like trying to find a specific drop of water in the sea. Still intuition – perhaps as a dragon, perhaps as a mother – told her that the second child was a Seiryuu.  

Uncomfortable again, she rolled back over and adjusted the blanket over her bulging stomach. Abi groaned with annoyance and brushed a stray strand of blue away from her face, she still had a few months to go before her body was solely hers again.

* * *

The chilly autumn breeze blew bright red oak leaves and the scent of farm animals past Abi as she walked through the village. Fluffy clouds drifted overhead, casting shadows on the fields and village. The villagers appreciated the breeze and shade after a long hot summer, their smiles and greetings warm and friendly as Abi walked by.

The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood as the feeling of being watched tingled across her skin. Golden eyes behind fabric slowly scanned the town but spotted nothing out of place. The only unfamiliar face was that of a merchant picking up a few goats, presumably to take to the city. Abi sighed, shrugging off the eerie sensation, and shifted the basket on her arm. Yoo-Mi walked by with some of the village children trailing behind her to help prepare for the upcoming festival in a week. The two women smiled and greeted each other in passing.  

Abi arrived near the center of the village, in front of Ko-Jun’s stone house. Her knuckles lightly tapped the wooden door. The sound of shuffling came from the other side, followed shortly by the door opening to reveal the village elder. He smiled at her in a grandfatherly sort of way. Abi noted that his grey eyes were bloodshot and unfocused. Over his shoulder, she could see paperwork of what appeared to be a new system for tax record keeping scattered across the table. The dragon smiled in satisfaction; Noi may have wiggled free of punishment but Zeno was going to keep him on his toes.

“Good morning, Abi.”

Abi pulled her attention back to Ko-Jun and held out the basket, “Ki-Eun sent me with your medicine and some fresh meat buns.”

The white-haired man let out a small laugh, “My sister seems convinced that I’m not eating enough.”

“She seems to think no one is eating enough”, Abi replied as he took the basket from her. The dragon tilted her head to the side, sky blue locks swaying with the motion. “What are you working on, Ko-Jun? You seem tired.”

“The Capital sent out a form that’s supposed to help us keep better track of taxes”, he answered wearily, “It’s a little difficult to understand, and these old eyes aren’t helping.”

“I see”, Abi frowned as she considered it a brief moment, “Perhaps I can help. I can at least give your eyes and hands a break.”    

“That would be helpful”, the elder nodded with wispy white strands atop his head catching the breeze, “Thank you, Abi.”

Ko-Jun held the door open as Abi entered his house. Her lips quirked into a small smile at the smell of ink and paper. It had been years since she last tackled the task of paperwork.

* * *

The full moon shone bright gold-orange in the glittering purple sky, a few fluffed clouds floating overhead. The breeze had a chilly bite but the radiating ring of warmth from the large bonfire combated it. Music and laughter rang in the air like a chorus of clear bells. The village women danced around the bonfire in a circle, hands interlocked. Nari was among them, her brown ponytail and festival dress spinning out as she twirled.

Abi sat off to the side on a blanket with a punch bowl and plate that only had crumbs remaining next to her. She hadn’t been able to join in the dance, not with her pregnant belly being as full as the moon above. However, a content smile lit the dragon’s lips from just watching the people enjoy themselves. Once the dance was finished, Nari weaved through the crowd and collapsed onto the blanket beside Abi. The dragon swiftly poured another cup of pear and ginger punch.

“If you want wine, you’ll have to go ask someone else”, Abi stated lightly as she pressed the drink in Nari’s hands.

“Thanks!” Nari replied before taking a long gulp. She smiled widely as she spoke again, “Maybe next year you can dance with us.”

“…I’ve never danced much”, Abi answered with a forced lightheartedness. The dragon couldn’t bring herself to say that she was only going to stick around until she recovered enough from childbirthing to travel.  

Nari laughed as the wind brushed back her bangs, “I’ll teach you! If you can learn how to swing a sword around, then you can learn the harvest dance!”

“If you so say”, Abi smiled at the woman’s cheeriness.

“Nari!” Hae-Sup called his wife over from next to an empty blanket. One of his hands waved at her, while the other held a plate of festival mooncakes. Nari hopped up with a smile like a sudden ray of sunshine.

“Thanks for the drink! See you later, Abi!”

Jealousy and loneliness panged in Abi’s chest like a hollow ache as she watched the couple settle on their blanket with the casual intimacy of lightly touching hands and knees. Abi unconsciously reached for Shuten’s distant jade glow. Like a wild gust of wind, there was no hope of catching him.

A sharp, strong kick suddenly knocked the thought from her mind and the air out of her lungs. Abi gasped and bit back a few choice words, “Must you always do that, little one.”    

* * *

Weeks continued to flow by in the river of time. More and more leaves changing from green to reds, yellows, and oranges and then fluttering to the ground. The days were often clear and bright, the sky a calm blue as relaxing rays of warm sunlight mediated the cool autumn breeze. All able villagers worked in the ripened fields and orchard, harvesting rice and fruit.    

It was one such day that Abi found herself staring down at the half a dozen children in front of her. Their ages ranged four to seven. The two oldest of them, a boy with messy brown hair and a girl with a gap in her smile from a lost baby tooth, and Yoo-Mi’s dark haired toddler both stared back up at her. A shy boy was hiding behind the older girl, while the last child was busy drawing squiggles in the dirt. The dragon glanced back to Yoo-Mi with a wary expression.

“You really want me to take them to gather wild ginseng? I’ve never watched over multiple children before…”, Abi said with hesitance saturating her voice. She’d never even watched over little Yakshi by herself. There was always at least one other dragon around and dozens of servants on call.

“Ki-Eun has been adamant about you not doing any heavy work, and everyone else is busy with the harvest”, Yoo-Mi answered with a slightly smug expression, “Think of it as practice.”

That was how Abi ended up ushering the group of small children toward the village outskirts, her steps more like waddling than walking. They entered the forest, the canopy of reds and oranges rustling in the wind as warm sunbeams filtered through. Two of the children ran ahead, while the rest were content to hover near the dragon. Yoo-Mi’s daughter clutched a basket in her hands as if it were of the utmost importance. Fallen leaves crunched and crinkled beneath their feet as the songs of birds circled around them. Having been sent out on this task before, the children knew exactly what wild ginseng looked like. Their faces scrunched up in concertation as they searched for the right type of leaves. With dragon eyes glinting iridescent behind the blindfold, Abi quickly spotted an area swathed with the five leafed plant. A couple months ago the herbs would have been fruited with red berries, but now they were bare.

“Let’s search this way”, Abi called out as she lightly gripped the free hand of Yoo-Mi’s daughter. The kids happily followed her led, though she had to warn older boy to stop shoving the shy toddler.

“I found one!” The oldest girl yelled out, kneeled on the ground with dirt already smudging her face. Her gap-toothed grin was full of pride as she retrieved the thick white roots with impressive skill for a kid. She ran over to the dragon, placing the root in the basket, before continuing the search. Soon all the kids were digging up the roots and bringing them over, seemingly in a contest of not only who could find the most but also who could get the dirtiest in the process.

Abi leaned back against the rough bark of a tree to watch them, her breath panting like she’d ran full speed twice the distance they’d walked. A familiar jay bird with pinkish brown feathers landed on a tree branch above as a cool breeze shook yellowed leaves from the canopy. She could feel fluttering in her stomach as if one or both the unborn infants were squirming around; thankfully, the new Ryokuryuu held back on kicking for the moment.

Fretful chirps chorused throughout the forest. The jay bird sounded its call as well before flying off into the clear sky. The dragon tensed, golden eyes staring out. Not too far from them, next to a babbling brook, was a black bear cub. Abi didn’t have to look very far to spot the large mother bear lumbering in their general direction. Abi lightly bit her lips with a fang-like tooth revealing itself. Her hand twitched as she glanced from the black bear to the children under her care.

“Alright”, she called out over the voices of childish chit-chattering, “It’s time to go back.”

“Awww…”

“But the basket isn’t even full yet!”

Abi focused on the approaching bears and the pouting faces before her, her hand twitching again as if to grip the hilt of her sword. If the bear perceived them as a threat to its cub, then the situation could turn dangerous. Abi wasn’t worried about her safety, but she couldn’t risk any of the children wandering off.

“It’s almost dinner”, the dragon smiled soothingly, “Now let’s get going, okay.”

“I’ll carry the basket”, the oldest girl stated, grabbing it as they began to leave the forest.

Abi gripped the hand of the youngest and went along at a casual but hurried pace – well, as hurried as she could manage at an awkward shuffle – in an attempt to rush them. It was only when they reached the edges of the forest that Abi let out a long exhale in relief. Her face was flushed red and sweat beaded on her forehead from the exertion. Abi took a moment to catch her breath, brushing a stray strand of pale blue from her face.

She returned the children to Yoo-Mi’s house, quietly warning the woman of the bear, before making her way through the village. Abi passed by Ko-Jun and Hae-Sup having a conversation in the middle of town, both of them nodding at her in greeting. The dragon soon reached Ki-Eun’s house, absentmindedly rubbing her lower back. As Abi opened the door, the smell of herbs and simmering stew greeted her nose. Ki-Eun briefly glanced up from the table, where she was sewing a baby sling.

“Abi, come prop your feet up. Your ankles are swollen”, Ki-Eun said simply as she returned to her task.

The dragon grabbed an apple off the table to settle her grumbling stomach and sudden craving for sweetness before doing as Ki-Eun suggested. Teeth tore through the apple’s pale red skin as blindfolded eyes surveyed her feet raised up on a stool. Just like Ki-Eun had said, her ankles were bloated and puffy with skin slightly discolored. After that long walk in the forest, they were rather sore as well. Abi considered requesting a foot massage, but Ki-Eun was already busy sewing a baby sling for her to use. It seemed wrong to ask more of the woman right then.

Abi finished the apple, her stomach pacified until the stew would be ready. She sighed and leaned back, her golden eyes glazing through the thatched roof to the cloudless afternoon sky. A frown tugged at her lips, her tongue pressing against enlarged canine teeth. Abi closed her eyes from behind white fabric and reached out to her fellow dragons, letting their pulsing and colorful lights wash over her like the incoming tide. Guen’s pure white like freshly fallen snow. Zeno’s golden-yellow like a warm beam of sunshine. Shuten’s jade green like the lush summer leaves dancing in the wind. They were all so terribly far.

Frantic knocks rapped against the door, much like Abi’s heart thumping against her ribs. Ki-Eun’s head snapped up, wisps of grey escaping her bun as she creakily stood and went to open the door. Nari was there with face flushed pinkish-red from sprinting and a confused, panicked gleam in her brown eyes.

“Abi”, she gasped out, “I-I think you need to hide. There are soldiers looking for you.”

“I know. I saw them coming.”


	10. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soldiers threaten the village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited -1/19/16

Abi had seen the troops wearing the uniform of Noi’s army off in the distance as she walked the dusty street through the village. It was a little unusual but the dragon didn’t put too much thought into it. It wasn’t until she was inside, resting her swollen feet and dragon eyes starting through thatched roof to the cloudless blue sky, that Abi realized they were marching toward the village. The unit was small; a quick estimate of only eighty soldiers. The majority stopped in formation a decent distance from the village, bows and quivers on their backs. The officer leading them – highly ranked based on his uniform and seeming vaguely familiar – continued forward with just a small guard, meeting a nervous Ko-Jun at the village entrance. The confused villagers paused from their daily tasks to stare uncertainly at the army, while others fearfully peaked out from doors and windows.

Abi didn’t know the details, didn’t know what exactly they wanted with her, but she knew without a doubt that it was the Seiryuu they were after. With tongue pressed against fang-like canine teeth and ethereal eyes closed, Abi reached out to her fellow dragons and let their presences soothingly wash over her like an incoming tide. Guen’s pure white like freshly fallen snow. Zeno’s golden-yellow like a warm beam of sunshine. Shuten’s jade green like the lush summer leaves dancing in the wind. They were all so frustratingly far.

Memories of snowfall dirtied by mud and blood flurried in her vision. This time Shuten wasn’t near enough to leap to her aid. Guen wouldn’t recklessly charge in and slash down those that would harm her. She was more alone now than on that winter day.

Frantic knocks rapped against the door, much like Abi’s heart thumping against her ribs. Ki-Eun’s head snapped up, wisps of grey escaping her bun as she creakily stood and went to open the door. Nari was there with face flushed red from sprinting and a confused, panicked gleam in her brown eyes.

“Abi”, she gasped out, “I-I think you need to hide. There are soldiers looking for you.”

“I know”, the dragon replied with voice only calm due to her years of battle experience asserting itself, “I saw them coming.”

“Saw?” Nari blinked in confusion.

Ki-Eun frowned, forehead creased with heavy wrinkles. “This has to do with the secret you’ve been keeping?”

“Yes”, Abi answered fluidly, “I don’t know how I got found out, but doubtlessly I was.”

“Huh?” Nari glanced back and forth between them, an expression of cluelessness on her face. The woman frowned and huffed, “I don’t know what’s going on here but Abi, you really need to hide! Ko-Jun and the others can only distract them so long!”

“Nari’s right”, Ki-Eun nodded and lightly reached for the dragon’s elbow, “Let’s hide you. You can explain later.”

“You two…”

Dragon eyes peered back toward the village entrance. Ko-Jun was still speaking with the officer, though it seemed to be more of an argument than a civil conversation. The officer was trying to intimidate the elder, squaring his shoulders and placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. Hae-Sup and a few of the other village men didn’t seem to appreciate the subtle threat– or perhaps vocal, the dragon couldn’t hear what they were saying – to their elder, coming to stand by Ko-Jun.

“…All of you are foolish. People are going to get hurt or killed if I hide or try to run.”

Tears welled up in Abi’s eyes but she forced them back. Her mouth set in a grimly determined frown. Fingers twitched in a second of hesitance as Abi reached up to her face and gripped white fabric. She then pulled the bandage from her eyes, the fabric fluttering to the floor. Both women gasped with dumbfounded expressions at the unnaturally golden hue of the dragon’s eyes.

Abi’s lips quirked in an ironic smile as she spoke, “Hiding doesn’t suit me anyway.”

Before either of the women could think to stop her, Abi turned heel and left through the doorway. She didn’t bother grabbing her sword; for once, the weapon would be useless and counterproductive. The dragon waddled towards the village entrance with as much dignity as she could muster, her head held high. Fear and uncertainty swirled in her chest like a brewing storm but she refused to let it show.

“Dragon gods Seiryuu and Ryokuryuu. Intentional or not, these children have your blood as well”, Abi prayed in a low whisper with each step, “You better give me the strength to protect them.”

As the dragon reached the gathering of villagers, gasps and exclamations of shock rippled through the crowd. Lost in their disbelief, the people instinctively parted for Abi. The officer went quiet as he also noticed her approach, an expression of triumph budding on his thin face. Ko-Jun and the others glanced back, immediately stilling in shock as well.    

“A..bi?” Hae-Sup wispily voiced as she walked past him.

The dragon moved in front of the village elder, the skirt of her dress rippling in the cold wind. Golden eyes that gleamed iridescent met the near reveling stare of the officer. His vaguely familiar features clicked into place. This man was the officer that had given Noi a report the night Abi had sneaked into the lord’s mansion.

“Unbelievably golden eyes…You really are the Seiryuu”, the man stated as he continued to stare.

“And what business does an officer of Lord Noi have with me?” Abi questioned, shifting the unwieldy weight of her belly as if to emphasize it.    

Murmurs of “Seiryuu”, “Dragon Warrior”, and “golden eyes” drifted through the crowd of villagers. Their voices were soft and barely audible yet ringing with confusion and awe.

“My Lord heard a rumor that one of the Capital soldiers saw you in this village. Lord Noi merely wishes to meet with you”, he replied smoothly.

Abi frowned, remembering the red uniformed soldier that had briefly stared at her months ago. He must have recognized her then, perhaps later getting drunk and bragging about it to anyone that would listen. That anyone would probably include Noi’s soldiers. After that it had only been a matter of time until Noi heard of the rumor and sent one of his people to confirm it. Abi mentally cursed at her simple mistake. She should have stayed indoors when they came to pay compensation. The dragon pushed those far too late thoughts away and glanced toward the distant archers.

“Merely? If that was the case, a polite invitation would have been more appropriate”, Abi turned her head back to the officer and narrowed her golden eyes. Her tone was just as sharp as her piercing glare, “Tell me the real reason.”

The man’s jaw locked, his gaze lingering on her very pregnant belly as he weighed his options. The soldiers at his side were silent and tense, sweat beading on their foreheads when dragon eyes scanned over them. Eventually, the officer came to a decision as his pose shifted to self-assurance.

“That monster of a Priest is causing problems for Lord Noi’s allies.”

Abi blinked in surprise, her mind whirling at such a statement. Monster? Guen, Shuten, and Abi herself had often been referred to as monstrous by friend and foe alike. But since when did anyone refer to Zeno – gentle and weak, whose only power was quickly healing, Zeno – as a monster?… No, that little tidbit wasn’t the important part right now.

Abi stared at the officer eventually as she voiced her conclusion, “So that’s it then. Noi wants to use me as a hostage.”

“How difficult are you going to make this, Seiryuu?” He replied with a hardened expression and quick flick of his hand.

The archers saw the signal and one-after-the-other notched their arrows, aiming towards the loitering villagers. Abi gulped and bit her lip with a single fang-like tooth peeking out. One hand unconsciously went to her stomach as golden eyes peered at the familiar faces. Ko-Jun and Hae-Sup stood right behind her. Close enough to hear every word, worry and anger brewed in their eyes. Yoo-Mi stood in the midst on the crowd, protectively clutching her young daughter. Ki-Eun and Nari had caught up, idling in the back of the crowd with fear marring their expressions.

Abi wanted to protect them. The dragon wanted to protect these kind people that had taken her in without question and cared for her these past few, difficult months. Abi took a deep breath, once again reaching out for the presences of her fellow dragons. She drew courage from their pulsing lights, which were like strong and comforting hands supporting her.

“I’ll go willingly”, the dragon exhaled.

The officer and soldiers at his side stared wide eyed at her, clearly not expecting her to so easily surrender. Abi just gave them a smile that wasn’t a smile at all, lips thin and scornful.

“As you can see, I’m in no condition to fight”, her chilly tone dripped with bitterness as she motioned to her bulging stomach, “But even so, as one of King Hiryuu’s Dragon Warriors, I cannot allow the villagers to be harmed. This is the only way to guarantee that, is it not?”

“Abi, don’t-”

The dragon turned to Hae-Sup and simply shook her head, pale blue locks swaying as her golden eyes met his dark grey. Ko-Jun nodded grimly and placed a subduing hand on the younger man’s shoulder. Hae-Sup’s shoulders slumped, a curse muttered under his breath.

Abi turned her attention back to the soldiers as she wordlessly allowed her hands to be bond. She winced when the soldier tugged the knot tight. The rough rope scratched against her wrists. Large hands shoved her forward, causing the dragon to stagger the first couple of steps. Abi shuffled at a slow pace, Noi’s soldiers on each side of her. The dragon mentally counted each step.

“Lord Noi will be pleased at how smoothly this went”, the high ranked officer spoke more to himself than anyone else. His expression was a mixture of relief and gloating.

They had walked fifteen steps. Abi took another deep breath as the cold wind twirled red, red leaves around them. Red like blood spilled on a battlefield. They were fifty steps away from the village. Red like the wildfire that roared through her veins. They were a hundred steps more toward the archers. Red like crimson curls that she futilely yearned to see again. They had gone three hundred and twenty eight steps.

The dragon glanced up at the archers as they neared. Even if they knew better, the men couldn’t help it. The red marks adorning the pale skin of her cheeks drew attention to eerily golden eyes. A vicious and feral sneer spread across Abi’s face, baring fang-like canine teeth. Three hundred and twenty nine steps were all she had needed to get the archers within range of her power.

Before any of the soldiers realized the danger, Abi let loose as if a dam had been broke. An intangible force surged forth like a flood. The nearest and weakest archers fainted, immediately overwhelmed. The ones farther away froze from paralysis as the monstrous blue dragon loomed, eyeing them as her prey. Their bows uselessly cluttered to the ground.

“What!?”

“Stop her!”

The soldiers guarding her moved to grab the dragon but a glimpse of iridescent gold left them just as immobile as their allies. Anger – that such pathetic creatures dared to threaten innocent villagers, dared to use her against her brother, dared to endanger her children – boiled over. Nearly eight years of fear and frustration sharped into illusionary claws and phantom teeth. It had been too long since Abi relished in her power, too long since the power of Seiryuu feasted on her enemies.

The soldiers screamed as the dragon tore their limps asunder. Sobs and wails filled the chilly air of late autumn. Desperate, pleading begs fell on callous ears. The cacophony of cries was music to the dragon. Frantic heartbeats – so very tiny and breakable – thumped around her. The claw of her power hovered over the officer’s chest as tears stained his face. His mouth began to form words, perhaps a plea of mercy or perhaps a hateful curse. Before the sound could exit his throat, his heart was devoured by the dragon’s power. One by one, each soldier joined their commander; their frantically pounding hearts crushed with ease. Not a single life was spared, not even those already unconscious.

When the last soldier fell to the grass with a heavy thump, Abi turned her golden gaze toward the crowd at the village entrance. They stood absolutely still and silent, utter shock blanking their faces. Seeing they were safe, a small smile formed on her lips as the dragon felt the beginnings of backlash whip through her. Before the paralysis fully caught her in its grip, Abi shifted her weight on her feet. Instead of falling forward, she tumbled onto her side with blue hair fanning out in the grass and dirt. Fear that her unborn children had been harmed fuzzily filtered through her mind.

“Abi!”  

The voice seemed distant, as if she was hearing it from underwater. Blurry feet darted toward her as Ab’s vision began to grey. Consciousness slipped away like a tiny tinkle of water flowing through her fingers.

* * *

A cool, damp rag on her forehead was the first thing Abi became aware of. The scent of herbs and medicine told her that she was back in Ki-Eun’s house. She could hear the old woman’s voice in a low whisper, too soft for Abi to comprehend the words. The voice that replied, equally quiet as the first, belonged to Ko-Jun. Through her eyelids and the thatched roof, she could see the sun nearing the horizon and painting the sky from dark navy in the east to bright orange in the west. Abi groaned and blinked her eyes open, attempting to move but finding her limps still paralyzed. Ki-Eun was immediately by her side, the elder’s wrinkled face peering down at her.

“I should go ahead and tell you”, the dragon said before the herbalist could speak, “That I won’t be able to move for a while. It’s the normal side effect of using my power.”

“…I see”, Ki-Eun’s wrinkles creased as she frowned, “How do you feel? You took quite the tumble.”

“I’m…”, Abi paused as worry surged forward again. The dragon reached to the tiny jade light inside of her, it’s flickering as steady as ever. The presence flared as Abi received a strong kick to her insides that made her grimace in pain. For once, she was thankful for it. Abi still couldn’t separate the light of the unborn Seiryuu from her own moonlit blue, but nothing felt different or wrong.

“I think they’re fine”, she replied with a relieved sigh.

“Good”, Ki-Eun nodded curtly.

Standing behind his sister, Ko-Jun gave a faint smile. Abi could easily see the stress lines on both their faces and the uncertainty in their grey eyes. Outside the stone walls of the house, the villagers attempted to continue with their usual routines. However, doing so with a pile of dead soldiers stacked just off the road and a legendary Dragon Warrior in one of their houses was clearly too distracting. Nari and Yoo-Mi were among those dawdling just outside the hut, the usual group of village children hovering around them.

“I apologize for bringing everyone into this”, Abi stated turning her golden gaze back to the thatched roof, “It’ll probably be about five days before more soldiers come. I’ll leave tomorrow morning. As long as you cooperate and tell them what you know, the soldiers shouldn’t harm the village.”

Ki-Eun snorted, “You may be a Dragon Warrior but you’re still a foolish girl. As far along as you are, it is way too risky for you to travel on foot and alone.”

“I am very aware of that”, the dragon replied irritably, “But there isn’t another choice.”

“There is one other option”, Ko-Jun spoke up. His respectful tone contrasting his sister’s harsh words, “The majority of the villagers have agreed to follow you, if you allow it.” 


	11. Relocation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knowing more soldiers will soon come, the village relocates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - 1/19/16

Dusk descended on the village, the shimmering sky a periwinkle purple as the waxing moon rose. The moon-glow coated the thatched roofs and browning grass like a pale morning frost of early winter. Inside one of those small stone houses, the elders and relevant adults crowded together with bumping shoulders. Ko-Jun and Ki-Eun were standing beside Abi as the village leader and local healer. Hae-Sup and Nari had a spot by the table, while Yoo-Mi hovered near the door with back pressed against the wall. There were others as well, such as the head goat herder and the senor farmers. They all murmured with nervous energy, low voices filling the room. Abi stretched her back with rounded belly sticking out farther, relieved that the paralysis backfire of her power had finally worn off. She then met each of their curious stares, the glint of golden eyes quickly stilling the crowd.

“Thank you all for your understanding and acceptance these past few months”, Abi started with a soft but clear tone, “I’m estimating that we have about five days before more soldiers come to find out what happened. For those of you that do not wish to follow me, I request that you leave here now. The less you know about our plans, the safer it will be for everyone.”

A heavy atmosphere clouded the room like the weight of a particularly humid day. Sweat beaded on Abi’s forehead from both the air warmed by too much body heat and apprehension settling on her chest. A few villages darted their eyes in uncertainty, but only two slowly waded through the crowd and out the house. Yoo-Mi shut the door behind them with a sturdy thud and then faced back toward Abi with her lips quirked up in a thin smile. The dragon waited in the quiet a moment longer before continuing her speech.

“Traveling far and beneath notice just before winter sets in would difficult. However, northwest of here, there’s an unsettled forest at the base of the Foggy Mountains. It is close enough that we should arrive in time to settle and build shelters before winter takes hold, but far enough away from other towns that we can keep secret.”

“North, huh”, Ki-Eun murmured, her grey eyes staring at the dragon with a glimmer of knowing.

Golden eyes glanced at the old woman with a flash of iridescence. Abi wouldn’t admit out loud, but half the reason she’d chosen that particular forest was because it was located at the base of the mountains which Guen had made his home. Being closer to the pulse of his pure white light was a comfort that Abi couldn’t pass up.

While those thoughts filtered through the dragon’s mind, Ko-Jun nodded in contemplation, “That seems like a reasonable area.”

“We need to get an estimate of necessary supplies tonight”, the dragon continued in a tone that was obviously accustomed to issuing orders, “If we’re quick about gathering and packing, we should be able to leave as early as tomorrow afternoon.”  

The villagers nodded, a sense of urgency settling like a weight on their shoulders. Voices filled the room, sharing various opinions on what they needed to bring. The noise spun around Abi’s head; or perhaps it was the room spinning. Abi couldn’t tell. The elders, Nari, and a few others glanced at the dragon with frowning lips and worry creasing their foreheads.  

Ko-Jun cleared his throat, bringing the voices to a silence, “Speak one at a time. And let’s move this discussion elsewhere.”

As the villagers began to file out of the tiny stone house, Ki-Eun lightly grabbed Abi’s elbow. The dragon shot her a glare, golden eyes narrowed. Ki-Eun’s weathered face tensed under the dragon’s eyes for a brief moment before taking a breath and meeting Abi with her own scathing glare.  

“I should-”

“My brother can handle the rest of it”, Ki-Eun swiftly interrupted, “You’ve gone pale, Abi. Go lay down.”

* * *

The sun, half blocked by puffy yellow-white clouds, was at high noon. The majority of the village were adjusting their packs and preparing to leave in procession. Every single person carried something, no matter how light of a load it was. The able bodied men and women were weighted down with tents and heavy packs filled with tools, kitchenware, clothing and cloth, gourds of water and alcohol, and money. The elderly and the younger children carried smaller bags. Most of which were filled with small water gourds, herbs, medicine, and small personal items. The horses and mules were loaded down with the heaviest supplies: one horse had bags of coin and large water canteens, another carried grain and straw, and the mule had a few books and scrolls along with more straw and hay. Abi carried her own pack with her belongings, her sword awkwardly strapped to her back as well.

Beneath the drifting shade of fluffed clouds, the villagers departed. Hae-Sup led one of the horses, while herders kept the goats and sheep at a steady pace. Abi was near the front of the caravan, intent on guiding them with her sight. Nari quickly jogged up to the dragon with brown ponytail blowing in the chilly breeze and metallic clangs of kitchenware hanging from her pack sounding with each step.

“Um, Ab- Lady Abi. Or Seiryuu?” The woman’s friendly grin faltered as she stumbled over her words.

The dragon hummed in part amusement yet also slight disappointed budding in her chest, “Just call me as you did before, Nari. I spent most my life called by titles. Having just my name called is nice.”

Abi smiled softly at the memories of King Hiryuu and later Zeno, Guen, and Shuten calling out her name, their voices chorusing in her mind. Even surrounded by all these people who now knew and accepted her, there was a gapping ache in the dragon’s heart. The pulsing lights of her fellow dragons were still too distant. Abi lifted her hand and wiped away a bit of dirt that had been blown in her eye by the wind.

“Abi, alright. I’ll stick with that”, Nari grinned and pulled the dragon out of her thoughts, “So you never did say who gets to call you ‘Abi-chan’? Was it King Hiryuu, or…?”

Abi shook her head as she laughed a little, pale blue locks swaying in the breeze, “No. My King just called me by name. He was the first to…. It’s Shuten, the Ryokuryuu, that’s uses ‘chan’. I told him not to but he’s stubborn and likes to tease me.”

A sly expression slid across Nari’s face with her brown eyes glimmering. Her voice was almost sing-song as she spoke, “I’ve never seen you smile like that, Abi.”

“Huh?” Her eyelashes fluttered as she realized her lips were indeed quirked upward like a crescent moon painted red, “Oh, I am.”

“So deadpan about it”, Nari huffed, blowing her bangs from her eyes, “So the Seiryuu and Ryokuryuu were…”

Golden irises flashed with reflected sunlight as Abi glanced over, “Lovers? Yes, but only recently. We met up last spring and traveled together for a while…It’s my fault that we parted ways. Shuten… He didn’t want to but I insisted.”

Her hands drifted down to her protruding and rounded belly as orange-brown leaves crunched beneath her waddling steps, “I didn’t realize until later.”

Nari frowned and shuffled over, wrapping an arm around the dragon’s shoulders and giving it a light squeeze. Abi smiled slightly, accepting the comfort for a moment before pulling away. She turned her attention forward, dragon eyes peering across the grassy hills toward the far off forest. Even with her superior vision, Abi could only see the vague mass of trees nestled underneath the looming mountains with tips capped by white.

* * *

They had traveled for nearly two weeks, pausing when the sky darkened and then quickly resuming when the sun rose again. Finally, they had arrived in the forest; dragon eyes leading the caravan of dislocated villagers to the best place to build a new home. That had been the evening before. Tired and sore, everyone had made camp beneath the near leafless trees and then quickly fell to slumber.    

Now Abi was huddled in blankets, reluctant to leave the relative warmth of the tent. Outside the fabric walls, other villagers were already up and about with the first light of day brightening the deep purple sky with a streak of crimson. Fine crystals of ice hid in between rough bark and among the morning dew. The damp grass was munched on by goats and sheep, the animals in hastily made pins. The younger herders were already working to widen and reinforce those pins, while some of the village men had begun cutting down branches to use as support beams for their new huts.

With a loud huff, Abi clumsily scrambled out from the tent. Her winter cloak snug on her shoulders and hood pulled over her head. The morning chill hit her like a cold rain; Abi wished the sun was climb higher and warm the air sooner. Ki-Eun hobbled up, her knees stiff from all the walking and temperature, and pressed a warm bowl of rice porridge in the dragon’s hands. Abi savored breakfast as it warmed her body.

Once she was finished eating, Ki-Eun spoke, “My brother wants to figure out the best place for a well. I thought your eyes might be the quickest way.”

“It is”, Abi answered with dragon eyes reflecting the blushing light of dawn. She could see the twisting tunnels hidden beneath their feet, caves carved by seeping water. There were a few places where water pooled underground, perfect for digging a well. The dragon re-focused her eyes on the whips of hair escaping Ki-Eun’s bun and questioning grey eyes.

Abi spoke again as she passed the bowl back to Ki-Eun, “I’ll go speak with Ko-Jun. Thank you.”

“Don’t over it to”, Ki-Eun warned, “With twins, you’re more likely go into labor early.”  

* * *

Despite the relative luxury of being sheltered under a newly thatched roof and nuzzled between hut walls hurriedly crafted from mud and stone, Abi tossed and turned in the bedding as the blankets tangled around her body. Her back ached, her ankles were swollen. She felt heavy and awkward and sore everywhere. It had been months since she’d been able to rest in her preferred resting position. In spite of the exhaustion weighing down her eyelids, sleep eluded Abi as if she were trying to capture a mist in her hands.

Abi wasn’t the only one crowded in the hut. The displaced villagers had managed to build three huts so far. Everyone susceptible to the chilling weather of quickly approaching winter had been crammed into them. Abi shared with Ki-Eun, Ko-Jun, and a few more of the village’s elderly. In the other huts, the children had been gathered together under the watchful eyes of a few adults. Everyone else still slept in tents.    

Abi rolled to her other side, accidently nudging Ki-Eun’s leg but the old woman merely continued her snores. As the dragon re-settled, she could feel two very separate fluttering movements. The jade green glow inside of her was stronger, its flicker steady. However, the amount of kicking had decreased since they had reached the forest. Ki-Eun had assured the dragon that her twins were probably too cramped to kick as much as before. Less of that particular discomfort was a tiny blessing. Yet, seemingly in its place, a new development had occurred over the past few days. Even as Abi thought about it, the strange yet familiar sensation crept over the dragon, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. Her hand drifted down to her rounded belly.

“Are you watching me, little one?” Abi whispered softly, closing her own golden eyes as she once again attempted to sense the difference between her moonlight blue and that of the twin who had inherited the blood of Seiryuu. Perhaps there was a swell of blue light like a slow flooding tide, but it was still impossible to tell where her light ended and her unborn child’s light began.  

Abi started to draw her awareness back but then paused, her breath hitching in her throat. The pure light of Hakuryuu, normally perched near the mountaintops like a flake of snow, was for the first time in nearly four years on the move. As the first golden rays of the morning sun drifted through the nearly bare canopy, Guen was heading down the mountain toward her.

* * *

Abi practically bounced on the balls of her heels with impatient energy. She stood near the edge of the budding village, another two huts and shelter for the farm animals completed since Abi had first sensed Guen’s approaching presence. Her golden gaze focused in the distance, across the forest blanketed in a dense white fog. Abi casually wondered if Guen had somehow brought the mist down from the mountains with him.

She could see him now, walking at a steady pace and trailed after by a few men. Guen was a burly as ever, the heavy fur coat peeking out from his travel cloak gave him an almost bear-like appearance. He had grown out a beard – white as the hair on his head – that made his face seem sharper. His pure white presence pulsed out, reaching for her moonlit blue and using it as a guide.

“Abi!” Yoo-Mi called out with her daughter on her hip and another child clutching her skirt in his tiny hands, “Can you help me?”

Even though Abi could see her dragon brother in the distance, it would still be another few hours before he arrived. Abi reluctantly tore her gaze away and went to help Yoo-Mi corral the younger children. It proved to be rather simple since they all clambered to the gold of her eyes and wanted to hear stories about King Hiryuu and the Four Dragon Warriors. Abi did her best to weave the tale of how she had gained her unique eyes. Yoo-Mi sat back and listened as well, a smirk of success on her lips. Abi veiled a glare toward Yoo-Mi, but couldn’t put too much spite in the stare since Yoo-Mi had made it her personal mission to help Abi adjust to handling children.    

The sun slowly drifted higher in the glittered sky and chased away the heavy fog. Abi left the little group to their own devices and once again stood at the edges of her village, watching as Guen neared. It was all she could do to keep from running out to meet him. Realizing that the Hakuryuu must be close, the curious villagers began hovering near Abi.  

Finally his silhouette appeared from twisting tree branches and the remains of the morning mist. Guen beamed at his first sight of her before stopping dead in his tracks as he registered her rounded, very pregnant belly. After a brief pause, Guen shook off most of his surprise and jogged up to Abi. His arms wrapped around his little sister, pulling her into a tight but slightly awkward hug. Abi hugged back, her face brushing against the fur of his coat. After a few moments, the two dragons pulled away, though Guen’s hand lingered on her shoulder.

“So this is why your presence feels strange”, Guen smiled with muted teal eyes glinting with a conflict of worry and joy.

“My presence does?” Abi questioned with a slight tilt of her head.

“It feels…”, he paused a moment as if trying to figure out how to describe it, “Stretched out but swollen at the same time. I was worried that you were sick, Abi.”

A small laugh escaped Abi’s throat as she thought of how in some ways the pregnancy was more difficult than any time she’d been sick. Certainly the early pregnancy nausea had been horrid. Now she had to deal with aches and sores, swelling, itchy skin, exhaustion. The list of discomforts went on and on.  

“There’ve been a few times I’ve wished I was just sick”, Abi stated with a hint of acid in her tone. Even so, she smiled warmly, “It’s good to see you too, Guen.”

“Yes, it is”, her brother replied with a light squeeze on her shoulder, “It seems we have a lot to catch up on.”

“It has been eight years”, Abi shot back.

Behind her, the villagers were murmuring with excitement. A few of the child pointed at Guen’s plated arm that shimmered like freshly fallen snow, while Abi nodded politely at the men accompanying her dragon brother. They bowed their heads respectfully, strangely careful to avoid staring into her golden eyes for long. Abi’s lips quirked up as she realized Guen must have warned them that she might be uncomfortable with people seeing her eyes. With that smile still on her face, Abi grabbed hold of Guen’s scaly arm and tugged him toward the barely constructed village.

“It’s not much yet, but welcome to Seiryuu Village.”


	12. Winter Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guen and Abi have a chance to catch up with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited - 1/19/16

The two dragons walked toward the hut that Abi had officially claimed as her own. It was identical to all the other huts, but she had plans to expand once all the families had their homes built. Abi still shared it with Ki-Eun, Ko-Jun, and a few others as well; and, even after everyone else moved into their permanent homes, Ki-Eun would likely stay a few weeks after the delivery. ****

Abi pushed the door open with a creak. She was greeted with an embrace of warmth and the sound of crackling flames, courtesy of the modest fireplace. Guen was a few steps behind her and had to bend his head low as he entered. Used to seeing Guen’s tall and burly stature either under the open sky or beneath high castle ceilings, he appeared cramped inside the tiny hut. However, Guen didn’t seem bothered by it at all; he just continued beaming, his happy surprise still written clear across his face. Abi shook her head slightly, blued bangs tickling her forehead, and moved to place the kettle over the fire. However, before she could put it on, Guen quickly snatched the kettle from her hands. Golden eyes shot up at him in a narrow glare.

“Guen, you’re my guest.”

“And you are very pregnant”, Guen replied with a stern look, “Sit down, prop your feet up. I can make tea.”

“You never get it right. It’s always either too strong or too weak”, Abi grumbled but complied, sitting down at the makeshift table and propping her swollen feet up on a stack of bedding and blankets.

As Guen prepared tea, Abi glanced through the mudded wall. The only reason the entire village didn’t have their ears pressed up to the door was because Ki-Eun and Ko-Jun shot pinning glares and disappointed stares at anyone who attempted. Instead the curious villagers had to settle for glances in the half shut window at a respectable distance. Abi focused her sight back to inside the four walls as Guen sat a clay cup in front of her. He poured the pale tan liquid, steam and the scent of raspberry leaf lifting into the air. It wasn’t Abi first choice of teas but Ki-Eun all put forced it down her throat two or three times a day. The herbalist said that it would help with the impending delivery; and, Abi vaguely remembered the royal doctor doing much the same for the last month of the Queen’s pregnancy.    

“Thank you, Guen”, she said as she held the warm cup and took a slow sip. It was too watery.

Guen nodded as he sat down on the other side of the table. His mess of silvery-white locks glinted with an orange sheen from firelight and sunshine drifting through the window. His beaming grin shifted to a more serious expression as he questioned, “So do I get to meet the father?”

Abi felt the color drain out of her face, leaving the blood-red markings that adorned her cheeks eerily bright. She had been expecting this question, of course. But now that it had been laid out on the table between them, words froze in the back of her throat.

Muted teal eyes clouded over in concern, “Abi?”

“It’s…”, she took a deep breath and scooted away from the table as she motioned him over, “Come here.”

Guen pursed his lips but did so without question, coming around the table to kneel in front of her. Abi grabbed his hand – pale scales coarse against her fingers and palms – and pressed it against her belly rounded like the full moon. She closed her dragon’s eyes and reached her awareness both inward and outward, sensing pure white beside her and jade green within. The unborn dragons responded by squirming and fluttering. Abi winced, nostrils flaring, as the expected kick struck with a burst of bright jade light.

“…Green…”, Guen slowly raised his head and stared at her as understanding dawned on his face, “Oh, then last spring…”

Abi watched as his befuddled expression contorted in anger. He practically growled out, “What the hell is Shuten doing on the other side of the kingdom?!”

Abi grimaced, feeling as if Shuten didn’t deserve quite that much anger directed at him. Her reply was soft but clear, “Shuten doesn’t know.”

Guen blinked once before lifting his hand from her stomach and letting out a heavy huff, “What were either of you thinking.”

The blood rushed back to Abi’s face, painting her cheeks a vivid pink. She suddenly found a tiny chip on her cup very interesting. Despite the blush, her voice drawled out, “That there was apparently a reason we could never consider each other siblings like you insisted.”

Guen snorted and shook his head fondly before returning to the other side of the table, “Well, Shuten will know soon enough. He’ll sense the new Ryokuryuu the moment it’s born.”

Abi glanced up curiously as a glimmer of hope lit in the gold of her eyes, “You seem certain about that?”

“Ah!” Once again Guen beamed, pride emanating from his voice, “My eldest inherited the blood of Hakuryuu. The possibility of my child inheriting the dragon’s arm never crossed my mind, but I felt it the second he was born.”

Abi smiled at the mental image of a tiny Guen running around in his own fuzzy bear coat. She then shifted uncomfortably due the aching pressure on her back, her expression straining for a moment as her hands came to a rest on her ballooning stomach.

“Three young dragons. I wonder what King Hiryuu would think of that”, her tone was light but there was an underlying weight in it.

“Three?” Guen questioned with clawed hand unconsciously scratching the back of his head.

Gold met muted teal as Abi gave a thin and weary smile, “Twins.”

“Twins”, Guen breathed out as he attempted to wrap his mind around the idea of two unborn dragons, “…And the other is a new Seiryuu?”

“I can’t sense it like I can sense the new Ryokuryuu, but I’m certain of it”, Abi nodded and then pursed her lips, “It seems strange that all our powers are passing on.”

“I think King Hiryuu might be reborn someday”, Guen replied with a distant tone, “That must be why the dragon gods’ have allowed the blood to be inherited… For the children’s sake, I hope so.”

Guen frowned and clenched his scale plated hand. He looked contemplative, as if he had more to say but was uncertain on how to approach it. A sudden knock on the door stopped him before he could make up his mind and speak. Abi began to stand, intending to open the door. However, Ki-Eun bustled right in with a simple lunch of noodles and broth.

“Don’t you dare get up, Abi”, she ordered as she pushed the door shut with her elbow.

Abi slumped back down with a pout, while Ki-Eun set the bowls in front of the two dragons. Guen chuckled warmly before politely dipping his head, short silvery-white locks falling forward.

“Thank you taking care of my little sister. I know getting Abi to rest when she should is quite the challenge.”

Abi’s golden glare and sharp tone seethed with annoyance, “Guen, you’re one to talk.”

* * *

With a single swipe of the dragon’s claw, the tree trunk snapped like a fragile twig. It leaned to one side, splintered bark cracking and groaning. Guen stepped back as the tree slowly toppled over, air gusting through quaking branches before it slammed into the ground with a thundering thud. Guen then wiped the sweat from his forehead with normal hand as he surveyed his work. This was not the first downed tree. Logs baring monstrous claw marks were being cut up and harvested by the villagers and a few of his men. The plan was the clear this area near the settlement for grazing and gardening come spring. The lumber would be used to for building material and firewood.

A younger man with dirty blond hair – Hae-Sup, if Guen was remembering all the introductions correctly – nodded appreciatively, “The Dragon Warriors sure are impressive.”

“A few trees are nothing”, Guen shrugged and clenched his dragon hand.

Abi’s dry voice came from behind, “Yet you’re enjoying it.”

Guen turned to his fellow dragon with a frown. Abi stood just at the edge of the lumbering area, a small flock of brown feathered birds perched in the frosted branches above her. She shivered despite the thick winter cloak hanging around her shoulders and awkwardly shifted her feet to readjust her cumbersome belly. While her skin glowed in that way only pregnant women’s skin did, there were dark circles under brilliant golden eyes. Hae-Sup shook his head and muttered something about her always overdoing it before continuing his work. Guen silently agreed. Someone needed to steer her back to resting, so he marched over to her.

“Abi, why are you out here?”

“You need to take a break, Guen”, she answered with narrowed eyes, “You’ve been using your power all morning. In the cold, I might add.”

Guen glanced up at the sky. The sun was a blurred light coated by a wispy layer of grey that neared its noon high. It looked as if it might rain or perhaps sleet. He then looked back at the field of stumps amidst the busy workers. One of his followers, Nam-gi, glanced toward the two dragons with an encouraging nod. After a moment, Guen rolled his shoulders with the groan of someone whose joints were beginning to age.

“Fine, Abi. I’ll take a break.”

After waving at the villagers, the two dragons walked side by side along the trail back to the village. Guen slowed his usual pace so that Abi didn’t get breathless and dizzy from trying to keep up. It was something that he had learned to do when his wife was pregnant with their first. Bare branches, flaked in thin frost, twisted above them like a lattice roofed pathway. The flock of birds trailed slowly behind them, flying from branch to icy branch. Abi absentmindedly hummed a lullaby while one hand lightly sat on her stomach. Guen smiled at the unexpected sight.

“Guen”, she asked once the lullaby reached its end, “What’s it like raising a child with dragon powers?”

He winced, clenching his dragon hand while the normal one ran though his silvery-white hair. Gold peered steadily from the corner of her eyes but Abi said nothing, waiting from him to respond. When he finally began to speak, it was with a bittersweet smile.

“It has its challenges. Lately, Hyun-Ki has learned to use the dragon hand to climb. I had to rescue him from the roof a few weeks ago”, Guen let out a hearty laugh at the memory. However, the laugh faded as a chilly breeze spun up browned, dead leaves from the forest floor. Guen’s next words were solemn, “There’s one thing I should warn you about. The new dragons…It seems they aren’t just born with the power.”

Abi tilted her head with pale blue strands falling in front of her eyes and questioned in a cautious tone, “What do you mean?”

Guen held up his dragon hand, which glinted iridescent as hazy rays of sunlight bounced off the nacre-like scales. Golden eyes widened in shock. It was barely noticeable, Abi having missed it until right then. Guen’s dragon scales, which Abi remembered reaching up to his elbow, now stopped about a centimeter below the bend of his arm.

“The power is slowly transferring”, Guen stated with voice echoing off frozen tree bark, “From me to my son.”

A dried leaf crunched beneath Abi’s waddling step. She took a deep breath, arms crossed against her rounded belly. The dragons’ blood had become as much them as their human blood. Abi could only vaguely remember what the world had looked like before receiving the dragon’s eyes. It was strange to think she would probably lose that. And what would happen when the powers completely transferred? Abi wasn’t sure if she felt comfortable extrapolating such unknowns.

Guen’s clawed hand settled comfortingly on her shoulder, “I apologize for being the bearer of bad news, but I thought you’d prefer to learn this way.”

“You’re right”, Abi pushed the thoughts away for later and smiled at her elder brother, “Thank you for telling me, Guen.”  

This news and its mysteries were things to keep in mind. However, before she began to question and worry over it, Abi needed to focus on safely giving birth to the two new dragons.

“Your feet must be hurting”, Guen mentioned after a few moments as if trying to push away the darkness of the conversation, “My wife says I give pretty good foot messages.”

* * *

The sky was a pale blue hue that matched Abi’s hair. Though it had lightly snowed the day before, coating the forest in a thin layer of fresh white, not a single cloud remained visible even to the dragon’s eyes. Twinkling stars were embedded in that limitless blue blanketing the earth. Even without clouds blotting out the sun’s warmth, there was a sharp chill in the air that made Abi tug her thick cloak close. She exhaled softly, her breath fogging as it escaped her mouth. Guen stood before her with bearded face full of reluctance. Much like when he had first arrived, they were at the village edge and surrounded by curious onlookers.

“Abi, are you sure you don’t want me to stay longer?”

“If you stay too long, you might get snowed in here until spring”, Abi simply stated as she shifted in an attempt to relieve the pressure on her lower back, “You have a village, wife, and children that need you.”

Guen raised a brow, wordlessly questioning who needed him more right then. Abi shook her head and briefly flicked her iridescent gaze toward Ki-Eun and the other villagers. The message was clear to Guen: she already had what she needed and that, while his presence might be comforting, it wasn’t necessary when he had other responsibilities.

“Alright”, Guen sighed in defeat, “But I have one condition.”  

He then turned to the men that followed him. The man Guen addressed appeared to be the oldest with hair greying at his temples and a nicked battle scar across his nose. “Nam-gi, I want all of you to stay here.”

Not a single one of them look surprised. Abi suspected that Guen had already told them about this decision. Nam-gi nodded soberly, “Of course.”

“Guen”, Abi interrupted with narrowed eyes, “That’s not necessary.”

Guen turned back to his dragon sister. Despite the muted color of his eyes, they burned intensely. His tone gave no room for argument, “None of your people are warriors. You won’t be able to defend this village, yourself, or your children for a few months. I refuse to leave Seiryuu Village defenseless. Nam-gi and the others are to stay here until either Shuten shows up or you’re fully recovered.”  

At the mention of Shuten, a subtle threat carried in his voice should he take too long to return to her side. Abi’s lips quirked up in amusement before vanishing like her fogged breath fading in the cold air. She knew Guen was right. There was no way she’d be able to pull of what she had done nearly two months ago again. Even then she had gotten lucky. So much could have gone wrong. She could be locked up somewhere with no way to warn Zeno or any of them about Noi. Her children potentially stolen away the moment they were born to be raised as weapons. Those thoughts made her blood go cold.

Abi shivered again and nodded, “Alright.”

Even now, Guen didn’t know. His teal eyes were clear of the cold, merciless fury he would certainly feel if he knew. Really, Abi should have explained to Guen what had happened. She had told the villagers keep silent about it because she wanted to tell him on her own terms. And Abi had meant to tell him a number of times. It was just that each time she tried to speak about it her voice lost its words.

How could she possibly tell him that she had been targeted for a second time?

Guen’s clawed hand settled reassuringly on her shoulder, “I’ll have extra supplies sent down once I return to my village. And if you ever need anything, just send a message.”

Abi nodded mutely, ignoring the water stinging the corners of her eyes. Guen smiled softly and lifted his other hand to wipe away the unshed tears, his skin warm against her red adorned cheek.

“When we left the castle, I was worried that you’d never be able to trust anyone besides us again. I’m glad that you’ve found a place where you can show your beautiful eyes with pride.”

He pulled her forward then, wrapping Abi into hug that shielded her from the winter chill. Her head nestled against the furry warmth of his coat. Abi hugged him back, reluctant to let go even though she had convinced him to leave.

“Let’s visit each other when spring comes”, Abi murmured as she slowly pulled away from his embrace and set her hands lightly on bulging stomach, “I want them to officially meet their Uncle Guen, and I’d like to meet your wife and little ones.”    

“Let’s do that”, Guen beamed again before grinning somewhat cruelly as he curled his scaly hand into a fist, “Shuten better be around before then.”

“You’re thinking about punching him so much that Shuten can probably feel it”, Abi replied in a dry but amused tone.

“Good”, he let out a fogged huff before smiling at her again, “Take care of yourself, Abi.”

After saying a quick goodbye to his followers, Guen shifted his pack on his shoulder and gave one last wave before walking into the forest of bare trees coated in icy frost and a thin layer of fresh snow. Abi would have stayed outside, watching him until he went so far that not even her dragon eyes couldn’t reach him, but after a few minutes Ki-Eun and Nari ushered her back indoors.  

* * *

Golden eyes peered through mudded walls; outside large fluffy snowflakes flurried down from the grey cloaked sky. It had already been nearly two weeks since Guen had left, a shimmering white blanket now a thick layer on twisting branches and thatched roofs. The weather reminded Abi of eight years ago, when three of the Four Dragons left the castle. Abi sighed sullenly as she used mortar and pestle to grind dried herbs, the smell of mint and lavender and licorice root wafting in the fire-warmed air.

“Abi, you’re been gloomy ever since the Hakuryuu left”, Nari said as she paused her sewing to brush her ponytail from her shoulder.

“I-” Abi’s words died in her mouth as it felt like a hand had suddenly reached in and firmly squeezed her insides. She winced and gripped the stone pestle so tight that her knuckles paled. After a few long moments, the pain passed. Abi let a breath of relief.

“Another cramp?” Brown eyes blinked, “That’s the third one this morning.”

“Fourth”, Abi corrected with a touch of panic edging into her voice, “They’re becoming more regular.”

“Then you might be going into labor”, Nari stood up with an expression not unlike a soldier going into battle, “I’ll go get Ki-Eun.” 


	13. In the forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Childbirth is more admirable than conquest, more amazing than self-defense, and as courageous as either one.” - Gloria Steinem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the end of last chapter and the chapter summary imply, this chapter largely deals with childbirth. While I didn't get graphic or too detailed about it, if you are uncomfortable reading the process of delivering a baby then you might want to skip/skim to the middle of the chapter. Also special thanks to Kou for helping me with medical accuracy!

Abi was lying against the spare bedding, slightly supported by itchy blankets and a few straw pillows. Ki-Eun’s warmed hands pressed against Abi’s bloated belly. The midwife’s hands moved up and around Abi’s stomach in almost message-like motions. It felt awkward and uncomfortable and a little invasive. Abi lightly bit her lower lip, forcing herself to stay still and not to shift away. Finally, Ki-Eun lifted her hands and backed away.

“The first twin is in a good position”, Ki-Eun said as a flickering frown vanished behind a professional expression.

Next she checked to see whether or not Abi was dilating yet. That was even more awkward and uncomfortable and much more invasive than Ki-Eun checking the babies’ positions.    

“You’ve started dilating”, the midwife declared, “It’s not a false call.”

At those words, there was a sudden flurry of movement from Nari and Yoo-Mi as they began gathering together all the necessarily supplies. Water was set to boil, clean blankets were gathered, and various herbs pulled out.

For a brief moment, Abi was a child again and watching as servants rushed about to prepare for the birth of her younger sibling. Not allowed to be with her mother, young Abi had been ushered off and left to her own devices. She had been diligently practicing the flute, trying to master the song her mother always played as a lullaby, when her nursemaid had come to tell Abi the news. Neither her would-be younger sibling nor her mother had survived that day.

Pulled back into the present by another small pain gripping her insides, Abi gulped as a feeling of dread weighted down on her. Her heart raced with trepidation and panic.    

“Abi”, Ki-Eun’s hands settled on her shoulders as grey eyes met gold, “The calmer you stay, the easier this will be for you. Take a deep breath for me.”

Abi took a slow, deep breath and nodded, “I’m…fine. Just nervous.”

As the elder woman reassured her, Nari grabbed a twisted straw-rope and opened the door to hang it. A chilly gust rushed into the fire warmed hut as she did so, a few snowflakes scattering on the floor. She quickly shut the door closed with a shiver.

“I wonder if a talisman to ward off evil spirits is even needed when there’s divine power literally running through Abi and the twins veins”, she questioned idly.

“That’s just some old superstition”, Ki-Eun muttered as she let her hands slip off the dragon’s shoulders, “The real purpose is to let the villagers know not to bother us.”

Abi shrugged, the conversation distracting her from her anxiety, “I would have said much the same thing years ago before I met a dragon god face-to-face.”   

The other three women stared in slight awe at such a casual statement.

“No matter”, Ki-Eun was the first to shake the stupor off, “Right now, you’re in the earliest stage so go back to what you were doing, Abi. It’s best to keep comfortable but a little busy while we wait for the contractions to intensify.”

And so the hours ticked by, the sun drifting through the grey clouded sky above thatched roof. Abi helped prepare herbs and medicine. She paced around the tiny hut. She sat down and propped up her sore feet a while. She helped Yoo-Mi cook soup, stirring and adding spices. She watched the villagers carrying on their daily routine outside. Every so often she would pause from cramping pains, and Ki-Eun checked her progress regularly.  

All throughout this Abi smoothed over her pulsing blue presence as best she could, attempting to buffer the increasing pains of childbirth from her fellow dragons. Shuten and Zeno would have no idea what was going on. Abi didn’t want to frighten them into thinking she was dying or something. (A fearful whisper reminded her that death was a possibility, but Abi did her best to ignore that thought.)

That plan lasted until the snow-clouds were aglow with the pink and purple hues of sunset. As the contractions became more and more frequent, they also became more and more agonizing. A particularly painful tightening of her insides broke her resolve. The buffer shattered like a split dam, her pain overflowing through the connection shared between the Four Dragons like a flash flood. Their reactions back flowed almost instantly. Lights of sunny golden-yellow and jade green surged with frantic anxiousness and fear. Guen’s white light was anxious as well but that soon dimmed into steady and soothing encouragement that Abi clung to as if gripping his scaled hand until the pain of that particular contraction waned.

The contractions continued to intensify, and Abi had less focus to spare for the other dragons. She only vaguely noticed that Shuten was swiftly traveling. Abi mentally – or perhaps vocally, she wasn’t completely certain – cursed that man with each excruciating tightening of her insides. She also took a cruel sense of satisfaction at how his green hue was lit with panic on the edge of her awareness.

Outside the sky glowed with a soft pink and bright orange as the sun rose above the eastern horizon.

“It’s almost been a full day”, Abi groaned as Nari massaged her back, “How much longer.”

“You’re almost fully dilated”, Ki-Eun replied while she mixed a medical tea, “In another hour or two, you’ll start pushing.”

“It’s not usual for a woman’s first childbirth to last longer”, Yoo-Mi said with an encouraging smile, “My first childbirth lasted nearly two days.”

“I’d rather fight an army alone than deal with this for another day”, the dragon muttered darkly.  

Ki-Eun walked over and pressed a cup to Abi’s lips, “Here. It’ll help with the pain.”

Abi greedily gulped down the liquid, from both the promise of relief and a sudden realization of thirst. The taste of willow bark and licorice root glided across her tongue. There were other herbs mixed in as well to encourage and help her body through this ordeal, but the sweetness of the licorice overpowered their flavors. It was for the best since the other herbs probably didn’t taste pleasant.

As the sun climbed higher in the cloudy sky dusted with dimmed stars, Ki-Eun began coaching Abi to push. If Abi thought the pain was rough before, now it was nearly unbearable. She bit into a cloth and hissed curses at Shuten’s rapidly traveling light as it flickered in and out of her awareness. Nari whispered comfort into her ear and wiped sweat from her forehead with a cool, damp rag.

“Okay, stop pushing for now”, Ki-Eun’s voice rang out.

Abi gladly paused her struggle, her breaths wheezy.

“You’re doing good, Abi”, the midwife briefly squeezed her hand, “Yoo-Mi get her more water to drink.”

Another hour passed, the sun nearing the peak of its climb. Abi held a death-grip on the ropes hanging from the ceiling support beam, pulling herself up so that her lower body naturally relaxed. Murmurs of encouragement drifted around her.

“Almost there”, Ki-Eun stated in her calming tone, “One more strong push.”

The next contraction came. Abi pushed and strained, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. The feeling of a baby leaving from her body was strange yet relieving. The midwife caught hold of the newborn as it slipped out. All the women stared at the tiny jade scales coating the infant’s right leg and the patch of thick green hair.

Abi laughed despite exhaustion throbbing through every inch of her body, “I never thought the dragon’s leg could be so adorably small.”

Ki-Eun brushed her surprise aside and expertly clipped the umbilical cord, “She’s a beautiful little girl, Abi.”

The newborn was then passed over to Yoo-Mi so that she could be bathed. Abi watched as her daughter, wrinkled and tiny, had the blood and birthing fluids wiped off with a wet cloth. The infant cried out with a strong set of lungs and flailed out her limbs. She was definitely her father’s child, Abi thought as she sighed wearily yet happily.

“You can’t rest yet, Abi. There’s still your second”, Ki-Eun reminded as her grey eyes clouded with concern, “This one is going to be a bit more complicated.”

“What’s wrong?” Despite her best effort to hide it, fear quivered in Abi’s voice as she questioned the midwife.

“The second twin is breech”, Ki-Eun grimaced but then quickly smoothed over her expression into an unreadable mask, “You’ll both be fine, Abi. I’ve successfully delivered plenty of breech babies over the years.”

Abi warily nodded and tried not to think about the ways this could go wrong. Soon enough the next round of contractions and pushes began. Nari was there, once again wiping sweat from Abi’s forehead and assisting Ki-Eun. A few times the midwife had Abi adjust position in an attempt to keep the baby’s shoulders or head from becoming stuck.

“I can see the knees!” Ki-Eun said the next part so quietly that Abi barely heard her, “Hopefully, he’ll be out with another push or two.”

Thankfully, there were no more complications. With one last weary but determined push, the second twin slid out of Abi’s body and into Ki-Eun’s waiting hands. The dragon’s vision suddenly blurred as she felt an odd hollowing in her veins. It was a strange and dizzying sensation. It felt as if the will of the gods had slipped out of her with the newborn. Combined with nearly two days of labor, Abi’s hands involuntarily let go of the ropes as she collapsed backward. Nari caught her under the arms and guided her back over to the spare bedding as Ki-Eun and Yoo-Mi tended to the second twin.

A few hazy minutes passed with Abi barely aware of anything but her desire for rest. Then Ki-Eun called out her name and pressed both twins into Abi’s arms. Golden eyes glanced down at the tiny infants. Another pair of golden eyes that sparkled iridescent with curiosity stared back up at her. His chubby cheeks were marked with tiny red streaks and thin fuzz of sky blue was on his head. For the first time, Abi could feel the pulsing of his moonlit blue separate from her light, though it felt like they were still connected by a thread. It was a thread perhaps not unlike an umbilical cord that was not yet ready to be cut.  

In her other arm, Abi held her daughter lit with a jade hue that matched the faint and still distant green fading in and out on the edge of her awareness. Abi was too exhausted to estimate just how far away Shuten was; she could barely even sense Guen’s much closer light. The kick of a scaly heel jolted Abi from her haze. The infant squirmed and wiggled until she found a comfortable position. Abi sighed with a gentle smile like the last crescent sliver before a new moon and held the twins close.

“Hello, my little ones.”

* * *

 

The dusky horizon was colored with pastel purples and periwinkle blue when golden eyes suddenly snapped open. Abi shifted slightly beneath the blanket, careful to not disturb the day old infants pressed against her side. At that moment the twins were both sleeping peacefully. It wasn’t hungry cries that had woken Abi from her brief reprieve.

A jade green light, larger and brighter than the green nestled next to her, flickered against Abi’s still frayed sense. She licked her dried lips the realization that Shuten was close hit her. It was hard to tell how close exactly, but with his swift speed he was perhaps less than an hour away.

Abi carefully pulled away from the dozing twins, lightly pressing a kiss against the crown of each their heads. She got up, her body stiff and sorely protesting. The sash securing her dress had loosened after the last feeding, one sleeve sliding halfway down her shoulder. Abi readjusted her clothes with fumbling hands, marveling at her newly regained ability to tighten the fabric around her waist. She then went to the washbowl and splashed water on her face. Her reflection rippled; her skin was blotchy from exhaustion and dark grey-purple bags sat under golden eyes.  

Perhaps it was vanity of her good looks that it bothered her. Or perhaps it was her pride as a warrior. All because Abi felt as weak as a kitten didn’t mean she wanted to look the part. It didn’t matter that Shuten had seen her in worse states before. Unfortunately, there wasn’t really much she could do to keep from looking so tired and worn-out. With a low frustrated groan, Abi used a rag to dry her face.

Afterwards she set the tea kettle over the fireplace. Once the water reached a boil, Abi went through the motions of a tea ceremony. It was overly formal and grand for a lone person in a small hut, but the custom so ingrained that Abi found it relaxing and mind clearing. She then sat down with a steaming cup in hand and waited.      

Looking through the door and past the busy villagers, dragon eyes could see Shuten soaring above the frosted canopy. His winter cloak and long green ponytail trailed behind him in the wind. Though it was impossible for him to see her, it seemed as if dark orchid eyes that matched the darkening purple sky were set determinedly on her.

Abi nearly dropped her tea cup as her heart skipped a beat.

After a few more minutes, Shuten landed at the edge of the village. It was not subtle at all, and the villagers stared wide eyed at him. One of the men Guen had left as guards spoke briefly with the newly arrived dragon, pointing him in the direction of Abi’s hut. He marched off but was almost immediately stopped by Ki-Eun. Her words were also brief but whatever she told him caused Shuten to nod seriously.

Finally the hut door creaked up as Abi placed her cup on the table. Shuten stood in the doorframe, exhaustion clinging to his muscles from his race across the country. As he gazed at Abi for the first time in roughly nine months, relief and uncertainty and astonishment mingled with the worry lines under his eyes. The two dragons stared silently at each other. Neither one was sure what to say.

Abi broke the quiet when the winter-chill began creeping across her skin, “Close the door already, Shuten.”

“Right, sorry”, he muttered as he stepped in and shut the door behind him.

Turning back around, he spotted the bundled newborns napping on the futon. The twins were turned to each other in their sleep with foreheads brushing close together. Having squirmed and kicked half-free of the swaddle, their daughter’s scaly foot was exposed. Shuten stepped over with amazement dancing across his face. He lightly touched the tiny dragon’s foot as his breath hitched in his throat. He then placed his over hand ever so gently on their son’s head, thumb running across red marked cheeks.

Despite his gentleness with the infants, his emotional expression quickly faded into something cold and hard and bitter. His brows knit together and his lips turned into a serious frown. Abi’s shoulders tensed as her stomach flip-flopped nervously.

“You’re angry”, she stated.

“Abi-chan…” Shuten glanced back up at her with realization dawning in his eyes. He pulled away from the twins and ran a hand through his bangs. His voice was strained as if it was taking all his concentration to keep from shouting, “I am angry. This wasn’t part of the deal we made with the dragon gods. Our children shouldn’t be subjected to the burden of these powers or the fate of being targeted.”

“Guen’s son has inherited the dragon’s blood as well”, Abi said in a slow lilt, “Guen believes that this has happened because King Hiryuu will one day be reborn.”

Pointed teeth were bared as he fumed, “If that’s the case, those damn dragon gods should pick new Warriors then! Not force the blood on children that have no choice in the matter!”

“Shuten”, Abi hissed with the gold of her eyes flashing, “I don’t disagree but I swear if you wake the twins up I will paralyze you.”

With eyes darting from Abi’s tired face to the twins shifting in their sleep, Shuten pushed down his anger. Now was not the time or place to deal with that. With no more fear or anger driving him forward, the overuse of his power and days of anxiety suddenly caught up with him. Shuten’s shoulders slumped as all his energy was dashed away.

“It’s…This is a lot to take in all at once. The idea of being a father...I’m still reeling from it. I had no idea until…”, he paused as another realization crossed his face, “Abi-chan, have you named them yet?”        

“Jin-Ju and Dal-Chae”, Abi answered with a faint smile.

Shuten murmured the names a few times, once again staring at their children as if attempting to etch their profiles in his mind. He then looked back to Abi with unadulterated awe swirling in his orchid eyes. Before Abi could respond, he closed the distance between them and scooped her into his arms.

“Shuten, what are you doing?”

“That old woman was very insistent that you’re supposed to be on bedrest”, he grinned mischievously, “Knowing you, Abi-chan, you haven’t been relaxing near as much as you should.”

Abi suspected that if the twins weren’t already there he would have unceremoniously dropped her on the futon. Instead Shuten gently set her down so that the babies weren’t disturbed. He finally removed his boots and then scooted in behind her. He snuggled close, his chin resting near the top of her head and an arm snug around her waist.

“You’re going to hold me here until I get enough rest.”

Shuten wasn’t able to see her expression from this position, but he could practically hear the pout in Abi’s voice.

“That’s the idea”, he confirmed while pressing a kiss against her pale blue locks.

Abi rolled her eyes and shifted, purposely elbowing him in the stomach. He merely chuckled in her ear and pulled her closer. Abi huffed in sullen surrender before reaching out a hand to tug the blanket over Jin-Ju’s jade scaled foot and wipe drool from Dal-Chae’s chin. Satisfied by their still peaceful faces, Abi let Shuten’s warm embrace lull her into sleep.   


	14. Cascade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somethings must be said aloud.

Abi woke to the sound of displeased baby gurgles, her heavy eyelids reluctantly fluttering open. Eyes that were a reflection of her own stared intently at her as Dal-Chae’s hungry whimpers loudened. Abi went to move but Shuten’s weight stopped her. His arm was locked tight around her waist, and he was laying half on top of her. It was almost like he was worried she might vanish while he slept. After a few tries, Abi managed to loosen his grip and shift free; Shuten rolling slightly to the side at her absence. Abi sat up and glanced down at her lover’s sleeping form. Her hand lightly brushed dark green bangs from his face, which even in sleep was lined with exhaustion. Usually Shuten was a light sleeper but he remained unconscious despite the infant’s noise and her touch. His presence was dim as well, even lying right beside her like this. Shuten had truly overextended his power to arrive as quickly as he had. Abi didn’t expect him to stir back into the realm of waking for many hours.  

Dal-Chae’s hungry garbles became insistent cries. Abi scooted around on the futon and carefully picked the infant up, cradling and gently rocking him in her arms. Jin-Ju was also awake but quiet, the blanket having been already kicked away from her scaly foot. Her brown eyes blinked, sleep crust at the corners. Abi slightly shifted her hold on Dal-Chae so that she could wipe the sleep from her daughter’s eyes. She then picked up Jin-Ju as well, intending to feed both of them at the same time.

The hours passed by as the myriad of glittering stars slowly traveled through the night sky. Abi woke twice more while the sky was still a deep dark purple to feed the twins and then once more when the eastern horizon was just lighting a soft pink.

Now the sun was fully over the horizon, the sky shining a bright orange. The twins were once again sleeping peacefully, settled on the futon next to their father. Abi yawned and longed to return to dreaming as well. However, she could see Ki-Eun approaching the hut with breakfast in hand. Abi’s stomach loudly rumbled at the thought of food, her hunger winning out over the need for rest.

“That man is still asleep”, were the first words out of Ki-Eun’s mouth as she bustled inside the hut, pushing the door behind her closed with an elbow before the chilly air could penetrate far inside. She carried a breakfast of rice porridge, seaweed and lamb soup, and preserved fruit. The lofting smells made Abi’s stomach growl again.

“Shuten traveled all the way across Kouka in three days”, Abi replied as she poured two cups of steaming tea, “For us Dragons, overusing our powers like that has consequences. He’ll need a few days to recover.”

Abi and Ki-Eun sat at the table much like they had done every morning before the truth of Abi’s status had been violently revealed. The dragon all but inhaled her food, barely even giving herself a chance to taste the flavors. She would have considered it gluttonous if it wasn’t for the fact that she was still feeding three.

After they’d finished eating, Ki-Eun gathered the dirty dishes while Abi retrieved one of the twins. It was time to change their diapers and bathe them. Deciding to handle the less restless infant first, Abi picked up Dal-Chae. His golden eyes blinked drowsily as she carried him across the room.

Getting the diaper cloth off the infant and washing him was simple enough, but wrapping him in a clean cloth proved to be more difficult. Abi huffed in frustration after she got it wrong for the fourth time. Finally Ki-Eun had enough, she shooed the dragon to the side and secured the cloth in slow and deliberate motions for the observer.

“This is something I never thought I’d see”, Shuten’s voice rang across the room as he pushed the blanket off and sat up. His tone was a mixture of surprise and teasing, “Abi-chan is a spoiled noble lady, forgive her ineptitude.”

Abi turned her head toward him with narrowed eyes that burned gold with reflected firelight, “As if a vagrant like you knows how to do this either.”

Shuten shrugged his shoulders, not even attempting to argue the point. He carefully picked up Jin-Ju and cradled her close to his chest. She stared up at him with big brown eyes, a happy garble escaping her tiny mouth. Shuten seemed at a loss for words as he looked down at his daughter and inheritor of his power in misty amazement.

“Brown eyes? Did you have brown eyes before, Abi-chan?” He questioned after finally finding his voice.

“Most my family did”, she answered vaguely as she picked Dal-Chae back up. The infant’s eyes shone with interest at the pearls around his mother’s neck.  

Shuten quietly mumbled more to himself than anyone else in the hut, “So both our children have Abi-chan’s beautiful eyes.”

Abi felt her cheeks flushing, her words tumbling out dryly, “I can only hope they don’t get your lizard teeth.”

Shuten snorted, “You never complained about my teeth when we-”

“It’s Jin-Ju’s turn”, Ki-Eun cleared her throat, reminding him that she was still standing there with lips quirked up in amusement. 

Shuten stood up, slightly adjusting the infant in his arms. Jin-Ju chose that moment to squirm about, her limbs flailing. Her tiny leg coated in jade scales hit Shuten in the chest hard enough that he visibly winced. A vindictive snicker escaped Abi’s lips at the sight.

“How is that funny?” He huffed and shot her a scowl.

Abi thinly smiled in reply, “I had my insides being kicked by a Ryokuryuu for months. I have no pity for you being kicked once.”

“Never before, in all my years as a midwife, I have seen such a kicky child in the womb”, Ki-Eun added.

Shuten winced again, this time out of sympathy. Orchid eyes glanced down at the newborn in his arms, “The first thing I’m going to teach you is to not kick your mother or brother.”

He looked back up at Abi as he passed Jin-Ju over to Ki-Eun for washing and changing. Abi gave him a pointed golden glare in return.

Shuten sighed, “What do you want from me?”

“Nine months’ worth of back and foot massages”, she bluntly answered, “For a start.”  

“You deserve that much at the very least”, Shuten nodded solemnly, “I can jump to the nearest city and get you anything you need or want.”

“Maybe in a few weeks”, Abi replied with a canine tooth peeking out.

Shuten shifted his weight awkwardly, his muscles no doubt aching. Orchid eyes scanned around the small hut, really looking at it for the first time: there was a good sized futon in the corner, a small crackling fireplace in the back of the room with a stack of lumber beside it, a table sitting center, a bucket of water and a small counter space, and personal items such as Abi’s clothes and sword off to the side. There were a few attempts to make the room less barren such as the simple earthen vase on the table and the painting of Bora hanging on the wall. Yet overall the room was empty and lacking, which was unlike Abi.

“So I’ve been wondering about something”, Shuten asked as his gaze settled back on Abi, “Why set up this village out here in the middle of nowhere?”

Abi froze, her mouth going dry. She hadn’t expected him to ask like this or so soon.

“It…” Uncertainty and nervousness buzzed through her mind as she struggled to find the words, “Isn’t it obvious? Children with dragon powers are both too noticeable and vulnerable. I don’t want them to be targeted, so it’s better to be far away from other villages and towns.”

Shuten nodded, having no doubt heard the unspoken ‘like I was’ buried in her statement. Ki-Eun looked up as she struggled to change the squirming infant’s diaper. Her grey eyes fell on Abi, holding wordless questions about the point of keeping what had happened secret. Abi ignored it. Even she wasn’t entirely certain why she felt a compulsion of secrecy over it.              

* * *

 

_The warm sun shone down as Dal-Chae and Jin-Je crawled about in the grass and played a game of chase with the flying bluebird. Both toddlers were fascinated by the glossy and colorful feathers. Dal-Chae’s brilliant gold eyes were locked intently on the bird as if judging the distance and realizing he wouldn’t be able catch it, while Jin-Ju’s face scrunched up in effort and concentration as she pushed her weight off her little dragon’s foot and lunged upward. She rose a good five feet in the air, an impressive height for a child that could barely walk, in an attempt to reach the pretty feathers. Bora swiftly flew to the side with an almost amused sounding chirp, avoiding the toddler’s flailing hands with ease. The young Ryokuryuu landed on her bottom with a solid thud and a dazed expression as if she didn’t understand why she’d fallen back to the ground. Dal-Chae crawled over to his sister, babbling baby talk all the while._

_Abi laughed at the cuteness, her chest brimming with the warmth of maternal love. Bora flew toward her as if to perch on the dragon’s shoulder. However, mid-flight the bluebird suddenly faded to bones. Those bones cluttered to the ground, next to vibrantly red autumn leaves that dotted the fresh layer of snow like spots of blood._

_Noi was suddenly there, reaching down and clutching her children. Abi tried to rush forward, desperate to stop him, but found her limps paralyzed like she had already pushed her power to its very limits. She fell forward into the bloodstained snow, one arm uselessly stretching out. A hand tugged on her hair, forcibly pulling her head up. The sharp chill of metal pressed against the bare skin of her neck. Burning tears streaked down her cheeks as she struggled to move despite her paralysis, to break free from the soldier’s grip._

_She couldn’t, wouldn’t let Noi steal away her children! She’d rather her head be lopped off! Or her eyes gouged out! Anything but Jin-Ju and Dal-Chae being taken away!_

“No!”

Abi jolted awake, her golden eyes wide and with water welled up in the corners. Her breathing was haggard. She took a few moments to focus on taking deep inhales and exhales. One her breaths evened out, she brushed away the tears with a finger before shifting out from beneath Shuten’s warm and comfortable weight. The blankets fell from her body, settling on her lap, as Abi sat up. Golden eyes stared at the peaceful expressions of the sleeping twins. Her hands, slightly quivering, reached out and gently caressed soft baby skin for reassurance. Her infant dragons were still here beside her, still safe and secure.

“Abi-chan?” Shuten sat up behind her, his worried eyes matching the dark purple sky hanging above thatched roof.

“I’m fine”, Abi lied as she wrapped her arms protectively across her chest. Her voice sounded unsteady even to her own ears, “Just a bad dream…I still get them sometimes.”

Shuten leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a soft kiss onto blue locks. He murmured in her ear, the name spoken like a whispered curse, “About Yoo Seung?”

Abi grimaced at both hearing the name of that man aloud and the fact Shuten’s assumption was only half-true at best. She knew that she should tell him what had happened with Noi. That there were people who knew she had been pregnant and attempted to use that against Zeno. She had no idea if Noi had given up on his hostage plan or not. For all she knew, the traitorous lord could have his army out searching for the vanished village. Their children, perhaps even Guen’s children, would be in danger if their locations were discovered. As dragons and parents, they should do more to ensure that didn’t happen. Abi knew all that but, just like the times she had attempted to tell Guen, the words lodged in the back of her throat. The silence was thick and heavy in the air between them like the uncomfortable humidity after a monsoon. A few minutes passed with no answer so Shuten simply hugged her closer. Abi closed her eyes and leaned back against him with a sigh. She didn’t notice the wary frown and ruminating expression on Shuten’s face.

* * *

 

Abi woke feeling colder than usual and quickly realized it was due to the absence of Shuten’s body heat. With a large yawn flashing fang-like teeth, she groggily sat up. Wrapping the blanket up around her shoulders, she reached out to Shuten’s presence. It was stronger than before, the jade glow like a bright lamplight shining within the village. He had almost fully recovered from the overuse of his power. Abi realized that he’d probably felt cramped in this tiny hut and was out stretching his legs.

Reluctantly, Abi shifted out of her cocoon of blankets. As she slipped out of her night clothes, she wondered if her actual clothes – not the many borrowed articles she’d accumulated – fit her again. A quick attempt proved to be disappointing. She slid on yet another borrowed outfit with a weary sigh. Abi then once again folded her clothing and set it aside.  

The door suddenly pushed open with force as Abi was combing through cyan locks and pinning them up. Shuten stormed into the hut with dark eyes blazing undirected bloodlust and slammed the door closed behind him with an echoing thud. Abi’s shoulders tensed but, instead of turning around, she continued fixing her hair in its half bun.

“The hell didn’t you tell me!” Shuten growled with sharp teeth bared. Rage seethed off him like a chilling black fog.

Abi slowly turned to face him then, her voice carrying a forced steadiness, “Shuten, either you need to calm down or we need to talk about this elsewhere.”

He glanced to the twins, who were both wide eyed from being startled awake but not yet disturbed enough to start crying, and then back to Abi. Her golden eyes shimmered with rue and reflected firelight as she lightly bit her lip. Shuten clutched his fists tight, his nails leaving red marks on his palms. Seeing the three of them only made his anger over the newfound information swell.

“Get Ki-Eun to watch them for a while”, he stated before turning heel and once again shutting the door behind him with more force than necessary.  

Abi sighed and ran a hand through her bangs before wrapping her winter cloak around her shoulders and sliding on her boots. She pressed a kiss to each twin’s head and then left the hut as well. The chill of winter hovered near the exposed skin of her face and hands, her breath a wispy fog as snow crunched beneath her boots. She was soon knocking on the door of Ki-Eun’s hut. The elder answered with a thin frown, the smell of herbs and medicine escaping from the open door.

“Ki-Eun, could you watch the twins for a while?”

The elder’s expression was stern but pitying, “He found out, didn’t he?”

Abi’s grimace was answer enough.

“I’ll watch them”, Ki-Eun shook her head in exasperation, loose strands of grey whipped up by the cold wind, “You two need to talk about this. And other things I suspect.”

The two women parted ways, Ki-Eun toward the twins and Abi to find the father. Golden eyes quickly scanned the frosted forest. Shuten was just outside the village, his harsh expression directed at an innocent tree. Abi braced herself for the impending conversation as she hurried through the village. Hae-Sup and a few of the other men averted their eyes guiltily when she passed by them. Two of the men that Guen had left behind guarded the village entrance, nodding respectfully to the dragon as she stepped outside.

Shuten turned to her at the sound of approaching footsteps in the snow. His eyes were still blazing in anger, his lips forming tight scowl.

“I suppose one of the villagers let it slip?” Abi asked as she paused at the edge of the clearing.

“I thought something was off but you weren’t telling. So I intimidated it out of them”, he replied in a low voice, “The hell didn’t you say anything, Abi-chan? You didn’t tell Guen about it either, did you?”

Abi shook her head, bangs that matched the sky above swaying. A gust picked up loose snowflakes from the ground and spun them into the air, light reflecting off the multifaceted surfaces of each floating flake. Abi shivered and tugged her cloak closer.

“I…Why should I have to? I handled it just fine”, there was sharp bitterness spilling out of her voice that surprised even Abi, “I was the one that had to go months without any sort of help. I was the one that found proof of Noi’s embezzlement. I was the one that defeated a company of troops. While six months pregnant! I handled everything alone! You! Guen! Zeno! Not one of you did anything until I already had everything under control!”

The two dragons stared wide-eyed at each other. Abi huffing foggy breaths as guilt churned in Shuten’s orchid eyes. A quiet moment passed before Shuten strode forward and clasped his hands on her shoulders. He pulled her close, his warm breath tickling against her ear, “Abi-chan…I never seem to be around when you need me most…”

“It wasn’t your fault. I pushed you away. I know that but…It was lonely and frightening, not having any of you…” Abi pulled away just enough to look him in the eye. What she saw swirling that dark purple hue made her frown deepen, “…You’ve thinking about leaving.”

“Only to for a few days, I promise. You’re not getting rid of me so easily again”, Shuten lifted a hand from her shoulder to cup her cheek with thumb caressing jaw, “That bastard tried to hurt you, our children, and Zeno. That he’s sitting up in his mansion without any sort of punishment. It pisses me off.”

Abi raised a brow, looking very much like she thought him a fool, “So you’re going to burst into his mansion and kill him?”

Shuten shrugged, “Something like that, I suppose.”

“You idiot”, she let out a frosted huff, “If you do anything too flashy or as suspicious as an outright murder, you’re only going to spark trouble.”

“Then would you rather kill him?” Shuten questioned in all seriousness, “If it was your power, no one would realize that it was murder.”

Golden eyes glinted iridescent in the light of a drifting sunray. Her tongue pressed against sharp canine teeth. That was an incredibly tempting thought. To use her power against the man that had caused so much of her recent struggles, to see the terror frantically pumping through his veins as she devoured his heart. It was tempting. It was so tempting but…

“As much as I would enjoy that”, Abi said with a reluctant sigh, “There isn’t exactly an abundance of wet-nurses here. If I go, then Dal-Chae and Jin-Ju have to come as well. If anyone sees them and realizes that the dragon powers have been passed on… I refuse to risk that.”


	15. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adjusting to parenthood can be difficult.

The sound of pen strokes on parchment filtered across the room and mingled with the crackling noise of the fire. Abi was seated at the table, writing out a list with a steady hand. She took a deep breath, the smells of ink and green tea from her still steaming cup drifting in the warmed air.

“Up you go”, Shuten’s voice sounded from behind as he lightly tossed Jin-Ju from his cradled hold and up an inch or so into the air. Happy baby gurgles, an almost laughter, chimed from the infant as he safely caught her again.

“Shuten, they’re too young for a game like that”, Abi stated as she wrote down another item on the list.

“Jin-Ju likes it”, he replied instantly but soon settled her down on the futon next to her brother. Jin-Ju gurgled again as she flailed her feet, while their son’s brilliant golden eyes blinked up at their father. Dal-Chae’s tiny mouth formed an o-shape. Both Shuten’s hands reached down, a thumb brushing each twin’s cheek as a rare warm and gentle smile lit his lips, “Dal-Chae, do you want to fly too?”

“Shuten”, Abi warned in a sharp tone before writing yet another item on her list. 

With an amused chuckle, Shuten stood back up and went over to Abi. He began rubbing her shoulders and back in slow, circular motions. Abi sighed and leaned into the massage, the pen in her hand now motionless. Orchid eyes happened to glance down at the list and noted just how long it was becoming.

“Do I look like a pack mule?”

“Mmhmm”, Abi hummed with an expression of simple bliss.  

“You’re cruel as ever, Abi-chan”, he replied before placing a soft and fleeting kiss on her neck.

A few minutes later, a tapping knock echoed from outside. Shuten paused the massage to go open the door, Abi’s face looking much like a cat that had not deemed him permission to stop. A gust of winter chill and a few stray snowflakes drifted into the hut as Ki-Eun entered. Shuten quickly shut the door behind her. She hobbled over to the table, the cold making her joints stiffer than usual. Abi deftly poured the elder a warm cup of tea and handed it to her. Ki-Eun gratefully nodded, happy for the heat against her hands, and took a few sips before sitting the tea down.

“Under normal circumstances, I’d be completely against this”, Ki-Eun stated as she pulled a small vial from her robe and set it on the table. Her grey eyes became like the sharp steel of a blade as she continued, “But in this case, I agree. Be careful with it. Getting it on your skin won’t kill you, but it won’t be pleasant either. You’ll want to mix it in a drink for it to be fatal.”

Shuten nodded seriously before picking up the vial and carefully placing it in his pocket, “I’d rather just stab the bastard, but this will work.”

“So that’s it then”, Abi said as her lips tugged downward. She had decided to stay behind to minimize the chances of anyone realizing the dragon powers had been inherited. Even so, her not being directly involved with Noi’s impending downfall left a bitter taste in Abi’s mouth.

Shuten gabbed a finger down at the list in front of her, “Anything else you want to add?”

“That’s all of it”, Abi shook her head, her sky-hued locks swaying. Her next words were as icy as the snow layering the forest, “I would tell you to terrify Noi but I don’t think I have to.”  

“I’ll make sure he gets the message”, Shuten promised as a cold, sadistic gleam flickered across his orchid eyes. However, the cold quickly faded into warm affection. Shuten bent down and, not caring that Ki-Eun was sitting right there, lightly kissed her lips. Abi returned the affection, short and relatively chaste as it was.

“See you in a few days.”

Shuten then left the hut and the village, jumping high above the snow covered trees of the forest. All too soon his billowing winter cloak and fluttering green ponytail vanished from the dragon’s gleaming eyes. Abi sighed, the hut suddenly feeling colder and emptier.

“I’m just glad I didn’t have to beat into your head how terrible an idea it would for you to go off on some revenge mission”, Ki-Eun muttered as she finished her tea, “It hasn’t even been a month yet. You haven’t recovered enough to travel, and the twins certainly don’t need to be out in the cold.”

“You would have thrown a fit if I had tried, Ki-Eun.”

* * *

Abi settled Dal-Chae next to his sister on the futon, both their little chests rising and falling steadily as they dozed off to sleep. Content that the twins were resting soundly, she stood up and re-fixed her dress.  Abi then put another piece of lumber in the fireplace, embers sparking as smoke lofted up the flue and into the cloud covered sky. Her lips tugged downward as the dragon’s eyes noticed trouble occurring within the village. Abi huffed in annoyance, her blued bangs swinging from the tiny gust, before sliding on her boots and pulling her cloak over her shoulders. She spared one last glance at the twins, double-checking that they were both peacefully dreaming, and then left the hut.

The chilled wind cut through her heavy layers of clothing, her breath escaping in an icy fog. Snow crunched underfoot as she walked toward the disturbance. One of the elder goat herders was clutching the ear of a young man not yet out of his teen years. The other villagers standing around wore disappointed and angry expressions.

“What happened?” Abi questioned as she came up to the crowd.

“I caught him stealing rations”, the herder stated and tugged on the boy’s ear. The teen winced, his blue-grey eyes glancing down at the snow. He at least had the sense to look ashamed.

“I see”, Abi replied as she recalled the boy’s name, “How much did you take, Su-ji?”  

Su-ji paled slightly and gulped, “A jar of the loquat preserves.”    

Golden eyes viewed the teen closely, though he was not fully aware of it. His lungs and heart were healthy, no tell-tale signs of sickness or disease. As far as Abi could see, there was no underlying excuse he could give. In fact, he was more likely to become sick from eating an entire jar of the jammed fruit, as sweet as it was.

Ko-Jun had been keeping a strict track of their food stores. This was the first time anything had been stolen; and, thankfully, one lost jar of loquats wouldn’t be the end of the village. Food was tight and carefully monitored, but they did have enough to make it through to spring when they could start foraging the forest and planting their new crop fields. Even so, stealing rations was a serious offense.  

“Our food stores are not large enough for anyone to just take whatever they want like that”, Abi said pointedly to the boy before looking up at the elder herder, “Have Su-ji do extra work for the next month. He should be fine to miss dinner today as well, since he already ate.”

The herder nodded seriously to Abi before he turned and walked away, letting go of Su-ji’s ear in the process. Su-ji pouted and rubbed his reddened ear, but said nothing and sluggishly followed after the herder. With the dramatics over with, the crowd of villagers began to disperse. Seeing as how nothing else appeared to need her attention, Abi tugged her cloak close and began the short trek back to her hut. While her footsteps once again crunched the snow, Abi decided that she should keep an eye on the rations in case anyone else was so bold and careless.  

* * *

An earsplitting wail resounded through the hut and past the mud-stone walls into the early winter morning. The cry disturbed the other infant, a twin voice joining in the tantrum and making the racket that much louder. Abi stood in the middle of it all, her face strained with exhaustion and confusion. The dark circles under her golden eyes told of a heavy weariness. The door soon squeaked open as Yoo-Mi poked her head in with a few snowflakes scattered in her dark hair, spots of white on a black veil. Abi blinked up to both Yoo-Mi and Ki-Eun standing behind her, the hope of relief trickling across her face.

“Yoo-Mi, don’t just hover at the door”, Ki-Eun huffed with icy breath as she pushed past the younger woman and entered the hut, “Abi, the entire village can hear the twins.”

“They won’t stop crying”, Abi said with frustrated tears in the corner of her eyes, “They’re not hungry, and they won’t go to sleep. I don’t know what to do.”  

Yoo-Mi finally stepped in and shut the door behind her, a sold thud locking out the chill. The two women glanced at each other. Yoo-Mi’s expression was sympathetic and slightly amused, while Ki-Eun just appeared exasperated.  

“Abi”, Yoo-Mi suggested, having to raise her voice above the screaming cries, “Have you tried playing with them?”

“Or held them just to hold them? Or done any bonding at all?” Ki-Eun added as she stiffly shed her cloak.

“That’s rather harsh, Ki-Eun”, Yoo-Mi frowned.

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

Abi glanced back and forth between them, slightly tilting her head to one side, “They’re babies. They just eat and sleep…?”

“You are completely right, Ki-Eun”, Yoo-Mi deadpanned before going to pick up Dal-Chae. She rocked him in her arms and cooed at him, his cries quieting after a few minutes as he stared up at the unfamiliar face with gleaming eyes. Yoo-Mi looked back over at Abi and sagely stated, “They want your attention. Babies need affection as much as they need food and sleep.”

“Go on”, Ki-Eun said as she patted Abi’s back, “You have one more wailing child.”

Abi picked up Jin-Ju as the infant continued to squirm and wail. She bit her lip and racked her brain for some way to go about this. After a moment, Abi lightly poked Jin-Ju’s chubby cheek not unlike how she used to nudge Bora. Jin-Ju’s cries sputtered to lull as brown eyes fluttered and looked up, more in confusion than anything. Abi wiggled her finger a little; her daughter’s tiny hand quickly reached out and latched onto it.

“Abi”, Ki-Eun spoke again in a gentle tone, “You’re quick to care for them when they are hungry or need something, and you’ve clearly put their safety as your main priority. But I’ve noticed that you hold yourself back from interacting with them more than necessary. The way you act, it’s almost like you resent the twins.”

“What”, Abi replied as a cold weight settled in her stomach, “Of course not! I…” 

Did she resent her children? Certainly not! She wanted the twins to be safe and happy. Every part of her – her blood, her bones, her heart – ached with that wish. More than anything, Abi wanted that for her twins.

For a more selfish reason, it also felt good to have such a concrete purpose: her children and her village needed her. Abi had dear ones that she wanted to protect. That was something she’d been sorely lacking since King Hiryuu had passed away. It was something Abi hadn’t even realized she desperately needed until she had stumbled across it again. Yet, Abi continued to wonder, did she resent her children?

She looked over at Dal-Chae still cradled in Yoo-Mi’s arms. Matching eyes of an unfathomable golden hue met, both pairs reflecting the flickering glow of flames. Abi gulped and looked past her son, through the hut wall. She looked past the village and through the snow-covered foliage. Far away, near where the forest became grassy plains, she knew there was an abandoned bird’s nest in a cedar tree. Abi knew it was there. She had glanced at it many times before the twins were born, but now… Now she couldn’t see it. The nest and the tree were blurred together, hazy and unrecognizable.

Abi’s lips formed into a tight frown as she understood. While she didn’t resent her children themselves, she resented that umbilical cord-like string flowing from her to Dal-Chae. She resented the slow transfer of power that had begun. She resented that she would slowly loose her superior eyesight.

Abi bit her lip again, one of her enlarged canine teeth poking out, and blinked away welling tears as she walked over to Yoo-Mi. After adjusting Jin-Ju in her arms, she took Dal-Chae from the other woman as well.

“I’m sorry, my little ones”, Abi murmured regretfully as she held her twins close, “I’ve been punishing you two for something that’s not your faults at all. I’ll do better.”      

* * *

Baby gurgles echoed as Jin-Ju flailed her tiny legs, one normal and one plated with glossy jade. Abi caught hold of the feet and wiggled them. She noted how fascinating it was that the infant’s dragon scales were softer and more malleable than Shuten’s. Deep brown eyes were warm with firelight as Jin-Ju looked up at her mother. She gurgled again, her toothless mouth widening in a sort of smile and tongue sticking out a little. Abi felt her lips tug upward as well. She wiggled her daughter’s feet a few more minutes, the infant enthusiastically enjoying the motion, before securing the clean diaper on Jin-Ju. Abi then carried her daughter back to the futon, settling Jin-Ju down with swaddle snug around her despite knowing that it would be kicked off rather quickly. Jin-Ju yawned wide and squirmed over on her side, apparently exhausted from the diaper change turned playtime.

Abi then picked up Dal-Chae and took him to the table. Dal-Chae was calmer and stiller than his sister. The motions of cleaning and changing her son were almost mechanical. Dragon eyes reflected in dragon eyes, causing Abi’s hands pause their work. Abi bit her lip, feeling that invisible cord stretching between them.

“It’s easier with Jin-Ju…”, she muttered ruefully, “Dal-Chae, I’m sorry that I...”

Slowly, hesitantly Abi reached down and stroked his red streaked cheeks. Dal-Chae looked up at her, the golden hue of his eyes set aglow by the firelight as he focused on the hanging pearls around his mother’s neck. Abi’s other hand touched her necklace as she vaguely remembered him staring at it on other occasions.

“Do you like this, Dal-Chae?” Abi wondered out loud as slipped her pearl necklace off and dangled it above him.

Dal-Chae babbled with interest and reached up for it. He gripped the pearls in his little fingers and tugged at the necklace. Abi let it slip out of her hand so that he could play with it. Dal-Chae promptly decided to gum the pearls. His mother grimaced a moment as spit and saliva coated her favorite necklace. But then small laugh lit her face. Her son’s chubby cheeks were pushed up, revealing a dimpled mouth as he sucked on the pearls. Between the dimples and the cat-like eyes that shimmered and shone staring innocently up, Abi couldn’t help but to coo at him.  

“Go ahead, little one. I’ll just clean the slobber off later.”    

* * *

The sky was clear of snow clouds and painted a dusky periwinkle color. The innumerable stars glittered across that canvas, bright and colorful. Abi stared up and up, taking in as much detail as she possibly could. Since she was going to eventually lose her sight as it was, Abi had decided to burn these images into her memory as best she could.

The weight of Dal-Chae’s head pressed against her breast. Abi glanced away from the starry sky and at her children. They had both just finished breastfeeding and now drowsily leaned on her. Jin-Ju nuzzled close, locks of dark green hair and smooth baby skin brushing against Abi’s skin. On the other side, Dal-Chae yawned widely as his golden eyes fluttered in struggle against sleep. Abi smiled softly and tried to burn this image into her memory as well.

Once both twins were sound asleep, Abi settled them onto the futon. A finger gently stroked one baby face and then the other. Abi then yawned as well, exhaustion sinking into her bones. She re-fixed her robes and curled on the futon next to her babies. Her moonlit blue light cradled Dal-Chae’s smaller blue and Jin-Ju’s tiny jade green as Abi drifted into sleep and dreaming.

Hours later, the sound of the door creaking and a brief but chilly gust stirred Abi. Still half-asleep, she was only vaguely aware of the familiar footsteps and sounds of shuffling.

“And where do you think you’re going, Jin-Ju?” Shuten murmured quietly, amusement and pride mixing in his voice.

Abi fluttered her eyes open to see Shuten standing at the edge of the futon with Jin-Ju squirming excitedly in his arms. She slowly sat up as she yawned, “What did she do?”

“She was crawling off the futon”, he answered, shifting Jin-Ju in an attempt to contain her squirming, “I didn’t mean to wake you, Abi-chan.”

“It’s fine. They’ll want to eat again soon anyway”, Abi replied while stretching to wake up.

Dark orchid eyes that matched the color of the night sky above watched her stretch intently as he settled Jin-Ju back down next to her still napping brother. Abi knew that expression of his very well. She considered throwing a pillow at his face for even thinking of it; and, she only decided against the action because the twins would be in the line of fire.

“How did it go?”

Shuten’s expression shifted to one more similar to what hewould wear after a won battle, “Noi drank the poison. And when I left the city, no one suspected that he was murdered.”

“That’s good”, Abi sighed as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her, “I’m glad you’re back, Shuten.”      

“Oh, right”, Shuten went to where he’d dropped his pack and rummaged through it. A second later he pulled out a wrapped treat and handed it her, “Since you’re awake.”

Abi unwrapped it to find a candy cake made of honey and malt sugar strings and filled with nuts. She glanced back up a Shuten with a quizzical expression, “This wasn’t on the list.”

“No, but I do know it’s one of your favorites”, he gave a pointy toothed grin. He was clearly pleased with himself for getting her something she liked but didn’t ask for.

Abi wasn’t sure if she wanted to kiss him or change her mind about throwing a pillow at his face. Her stomach grumbled at the idea of the sweet, so she went for the third option of eating it right then and there. Shuten sat down on the futon beside her and wrapped both arms around her waist. Abi leaned against him and slowly finished the dessert, savoring the rare indulgence. Once it was all gone, she turned to Shuten and kissed his wind-chapped lips that still lingered with the winter night chill. He deepened it as he tugged her closer.

And then hungry cries escaped baby lungs, shattering the quiet. The two dragons pulled away to look at their tiny counterparts.

“So needy”, Abi said with a tender smile lighting her face.

“They get that from you, Abi-chan.”

This time she did throw the pillow at his face. Shuten caught it with an amused chuckle while Abi scooped their twins in her arms. With Dal-Chae and Jin-Ju cuddled against her and Shuten sitting next to her close enough that their legs were still touching, Abi felt more content than she had in nearly a decade.   


	16. Epilogue - Springtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Let’s visit each other when spring comes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final page of Dragon's Den! Thank you all so much for reading and kudos and comments! In probably about two weeks, I will begin posting the Eyes of a Dragon rewrite. To give you guys an idea of what to expect should you follow that, it's going to be the same plotline but with my improved writing and more details/less timeskips.

The forest canopy was lush with new leaves and the first tiny buds of spring, a few patches of snow still lingering in shadowed spots. Birdsong weaved through the branches as colorful birds flew in the cool breeze. The small village hidden within the foliage was hectic with activity. Some villagers were out foraging, while some were herding the sheep and goats. Others were doing laundry, and some were working on expanding a few of the huts. Even more villagers were in the midst of preparing enough food for a feast.

At the edge of all the activity, Abi shifted impatiently on the balls of her feet. Dal-Chae was held in her arms, his little hands gripping at the pearls dangling from his mother’s neck as his golden eyes glanced at the passing villagers. Jin-Ju was huddled in a sling around Abi’s back, the pointed nails of her tiny dragon’s foot occasionally poking her mother through fabric as Jin-Ju wiggled her toes. Shuten stood beside her, his boot tapping with excited energy on the fresh grass and his expression even more impatient than hers. It wasn’t too surprising; Abi had seen Guen a little less than four months ago, while Shuten hadn’t seen him in over eight years.

The white pulsing light came closer and closer. Finally Guen appeared from the forest, though he had been well within Abi’s sight for a while. He was almost like another patch of snow amidst the greenery, a small group trailing behind him as if a procession. A huge grin spread wide across his face at the sight of his fellow dragons. However, the grin quickly shifted into a stern look as the muscles of his dragon arm tensing in preparation of a punch. Abi frowned and quickly pressed Dal-Chae into Shuten’s arms before turning a golden glare on Guen. With a heavy huff, he let his scaled arm drop to his side. 

“You should have let him get it over with”, Shuten muttered in her ear, apparently resigned to his fate.

“Abi”, Guen greeted as he walked up and wrapped her in a brief hug, hands careful of the infant carried on her back, “I’m glad to see you well.”

Abi sighed happily into the fur of his shirt as her arms squeezed him back. After a moment, they pulled away from the hug. Guen then turned to Shuten and clasped his shoulder warmly, if with much more strength than necessary.

“It’s good to see you taking responsibility, Shuten.”

Shuten grimaced slightly but still smiled at Guen, “We can spar later. Abi-chan can’t complain if you punch me then.”

“I’ll take you up on that”, Guen replied with a fanged grin before looking down at the baby in Shuten’s arms, “And what’s this little tyke’s name?”

Shuten beamed and held him closer to Guen, “Dal-Chae.”

Guen’s scale plated hand lightly stroked through short blue locks as Dal-Chae’s large, brilliant eyes stared up at him. The infant’s dimpled mouth formed an o-shape while his little hands reached up to touch the shimmering white scales. With Guen cooing over one twin, Abi shifted around so that she was holding Jin-Ju in her arms.

“Jin-Ju, meet your Uncle Guen.”

Guen turned back toward Abi to coo over the other twin, “Jin-Ju, huh.”

He lightly stroked her hair as well, her locks as green as the spring leaves around them. Big brown eyes blinked as a babbling gurgle left Jin-Ju’s lips. Guen smiled softly and then looked up, muted teal meeting glimmering gold, “They are precious, Abi.”

“They are, aren’t they”, Abi agreed rather proudly.  

From the group that had traveled with Guen, a wintery haired child peaked out from behind one of the men’s legs. Guen bent down and held out his hands, “Come on, Hyun-Ki. No reason to be shy.”

The toddler shuffled out and darted to Guen, a tiny dragon hand gripping hold off the much larger version. Hyun-Ki huddled against his father’s leg as large teal eyes stared at the dragons’ before him.

“…Bwue…Gween…”, he squeaked out.

“Yeah, they are Seiryuu and Ryokuryuu”, Guen said, “Your Aunt Abi and Uncle Shuten, and your little cousins.”

“Unt Abi, Unke Shu-ten.”

“Hey there, little guy”, Shuten grinned and adjusted Dal-Chae so that he had a free hand to ruffle snow-colored hair. Hyun-Ki placed his hands on his head as his lips pouted and quivered.

Abi couldn’t help but laugh a little, “How did you manage to produce such a cute child, Guen? He must get it from your wife.”

* * *

The hut in the center of the village, which the villagers occasionally referred to as the Dragons’ den, was now less a hut and more of a small house. It had been expanded into two rooms, and the fireplace had been widened. Inside, two tapestries decorated in a simple floral and bird designs hung from the walls, bringing much needed color into the room. The painting of Bora still adorned the wall as well; a spot of vibrant blue, red, and purple. The earthen vase on the table held forsythia blooms, their bright yellow one of the first heralds of spring.

Guen let out a low whistle as he stepped inside the door, “How did you manage to expand from that little hut so quickly?”

“Everyone was really enthusiastic about helping”, Abi replied.

Shuten snorted as he set out a blanket on the floor so the twins could crawl around, “Enthusiastic might be an understatement.”

They settled the twins on the blanket as Guen easily coaxed his son to sit with them. Abi then grabbed the nice ceramic tea set (one of the items she’d had Shuten fetch) and began preparing tea with expert movements. While waiting for the boiling water settling in the cooling bowl to reach the perfect temperature, Abi precisely scooped ground tea leaves into the kettle. The warm water was poured back into the pot, the leaves stirring up and creating a pale green liquid. Once the tea was properly steeped, she poured three cups before joining her fellow dragons at the table.

“Tea? This reunion calls for some booze”, Shuten grinned, mentioning it only after the steaming cup was placed in front of him.

“You asinine jerk”, Abi rebuked with golden eyes narrowed at him, “If you want to get drunk, wait until this evening.”

“I don’t know what I was expecting…”, Guen shook his head, his mess of silvery locks swaying, “You two haven’t changed much.”

“Shuten may be unrefined and idiotic with words, but he’s rather talented with his tongue”, Abi stated in complete deadpan.

Guen choked on his drink, while Shuten paled slightly and hissed, “Abi-chan, I thought you didn’t want me to get punched.”

She took a sip of tea before replying, “That was before you annoyed me.”

“Honestly, I’m glad that you two are happy together…as unlikely as it seems”, Guen said, looking very much like he wanted to purge that comment from his memory.

A chiming giggle shifted their attention. Hyun-Ki sat in the middle of the blanket with Jin-Ju curled up and pressed against his side, her mouth wide in a yawn. Dal-Chae had apparently decided that the dragon hand was a toy he could chew on. Not bothered by it in the least bit, Hyun-Ki giggled again and patted Dal-Chae’s head with his free hand.

Abi exchanged looks with Shuten and Guen. She almost made a comment about their giant goofy grins but held back as she felt her mouth stretching just as wide. Watching the cuddle pile of tiny dragons made her heart feel like it was squeezing. However, the elation soon faded as her lips tugged downward. Of the colorful lights pulsing closely around her, one was still too distant. With a sigh, Abi reached toward the vase in front of her and plucked out a single stem of golden bell flowers. Muted teal and dark orchid eyes fell sadly on the flowers in her hands.

“Prince Yakshi is still young. I’m sure Zeno will visit in a few more years”, Guen said in a wistful tone, “He promised to.”

_“That monster of a Priest is causing problems for Lord Noi’s allies.”_

_“King Hiryuu has returned to the heavens, and we too will one day do the same.”_

_“….pr-romised…King! You said you would tell me!_   _You said you would tomorrow! Y-you promised!_   _P-please…King, tell me…”_

_“This is something the dragon gods granted me when I descended to earth. I shall give it to you. It is proof that I will always be with you."_

_“Ouryuu’s ability is only quickly healing?”_

“…I wonder about that”, Abi whispered as she called out to that ever constant yellow so far away. A glow that never became faint from exhaustion or sickness or…  

“Abi-chan?”

Golden eyes glimmered with a rainbow of reflected light as she glanced up at her fellow dragons. A single question fluttered through her mind: Did Guen and Shuten also have suspicions about Zeno, about the power of Ouryuu?

Looking at them, it was easy to see the concern and sorrow and longing for those last missing pieces swirl across both their faces. Abi placed the yellow flowers back into the vase, unable to voice her suspicions or ask if they thought the same.

* * *

The moon was fully cast in shadow, though Abi had no trouble seeing the craters and mountains layering its surface. Smoke and embers from the large bonfire floated up into the glittering star field of deep purples and dark navy. Chatting and laughter filled the evening air as the villagers mingled with those from Guen’s group. Ko-Jun was deep in conversation with Nam-gi, while Yoo-Mi sat near and wiped off her daughter’s dress after the little girl had spilled dumpling soup. Nari and Hae-Sup walked arm in arm, sneaking away from the crowd. Ki-Eun wasn’t at the banquet at all; she had said that she didn’t likes noisy parties and then offered to watch the twins for the evening. Guen and Shuten were sitting beside her; their voices drifting over her in a discussion that she wasn’t paying much attention to.  

Abi smiled contently at the sight of everyone before tipping up her cup and finishing off the last drops of plum wine. She set the cup back down and glanced at the wine bottle across the table. Golden eyes narrowed a glare at the bottle. When it didn’t miraculously move closer, Abi did the next best thing of grabbing Shuten’s cup. Too distracted by talking with Guen, he didn’t even notice. Guen, however, did; his mustached lips quirking up in silent laughter.

“Abi, how much have you drank?”

“I’s only my third”, she replied before taking a sip.

“Dammit, Abi-chan”, Shuten finally noticed who’s cup that was as he turned toward her, his green ponytail swaying out in a way that made Abi want to play with his long hair, “You could have asked one of us to pass the bottle, instead of stealing mine.”

Abi shrugged, “Thi’is more fun.”

Guen and Shuten briefly glanced at each other, coming to a wordless agreement, before looking back at her. Shuten grabbed her hand and gently pried the cup away.

“I’s my first time drinkin’ny since last summer”, Abi argued with a huff, her cheeks flushed pink.

“That’s why you’re getting drunk after two measly drinks.”

“I’s your fault.”

* * *

Abi woke to her head throbbing slightly and a tiny weight snuggled against her side. Golden eyes groggily blinked open, the dying embers in the fireplace and drifting starlight creating a slight glare. As far as hangovers went, Abi supposed this wasn’t a bad one at all. It was probably because Guen and Shuten had stopped her from getting too drunk. With a low groan, she sat up and glanced around her house. The weight cuddling against her turned out to be Hyun-Ki clinging to her in his sleep. Ki-Eun snored softly on the other side of the futon, a spare blanket draped over her. The twins were lying in the space between them. Jin-Ju’s brown eyes blinked sleepily, while Dal-Chae rolled over and let out a hungry babble.

Abi moved Hyun-Ki off her, careful not to disturb him. She then rearranged the pillows so she could prop up and feed the twins, humming out a lullaby as they did so. Once both her babies had their fill and were again drifting into slumber, Abi settled them back down on the futon and lightly pressed a kiss against green and blue hair. A soft smile lit her lips as they unconsciously cuddled close. For good measure, Abi placed a kiss on Hyun-Ki’s snowy white locks as well.

After readjusting her dress, Abi wandered outside. The village and forest was wrapped in the calm silence of just before daybreak, the myriad of stars and faint swirl of color glimmering through the dusky sky. Constellations that were for her eyes alone shone bright above her head.

“Ah”, she realized suddenly, a little surprised how it made her smile, “I can show them to Dal-Chae.”

Abi soon passed through the village entrance, following the bright glows of jade green and pure white. Not even roosting birds stirred as she navigated the brush as if it were her domain. When the forest floor began to slope upward into a foothill, Abi found her sides aching from the effort. An annoyed grimace crossed her face; and, she decided it was about time to pick back up her daily sword practice. Finally she reached the top, where Guen and Shuten sat looking out over the sea of green leaves.  

“Yo, Abi-chan”, Shuten greeted with a wave.

Abi frowned at how his lower lip was now split and swollen but made no comment about it. Guen must have been merciful, because it didn’t look bad enough to have been a full strength punch from the dragon’s arm.

“Abi”, Guen blinked in surprise, “You’re awake?”

“I’m used to waking up at this hour now”, she said with a yawn.

“Right”, he replied, no doubt recalling how often infants needed to eat, “I suppose you would be.”

Above the tree line, a gust with the last vestiges of winter swept up pale blue locks. A shiver ran across her shoulders and made Abi regret forgetting her cloak. She closed the small gap and sat down next to Shuten, close enough that his body heat radiated against her skin.

Pointed teeth smirked almost mockingly as he wrapped his arms around her, “Oh, need me to warm you up.”

She elbowed him in the stomach in reply. Guen stared a moment before shaking his head, “You two…”

“Did you really expect him to be sweet and affectionate?” Abi questioned dryly.

“Says the pampered lady that just elbowed me.”  

Guen let out a heavy, exasperated sigh at their banter as Abi and Shuten wordlessly agreed to a temporary truce for the sake of their fellow dragon’s peace of mind. They paused their scathing affection and simply leaned against each other. In the east, the sky began to lighten as the first rays of morning light broke over the horizon. The three dragons sat in companionable quiet, watching as the sun slowly rose and burnt the heavens crimson.  


End file.
